92-B1 1744 
F2131  . F94  1888 
Froude,  James  Anthony, 
1818-1894. 

The  English  in  the  West 
Indies;  or.  The  bow  of 
Ulysses, 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016  with  funding  from 
Getty  Research  Institute 


https://archive.org/details/englishinwestindOOfrou_O 


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THE  ENGLISEI 

IN 


THE  WEST  INDIES 


gfaflen  pvcigen  fo  Oft  ciitf  fiiuin  t'crf  [BovtcB  fiupder 
bebeutenbeg  23itb  : Iange  Betviigt  fid;  baS  SSolf. 

©djtrarmev  prfigen  ben  ©tempet  beS  ©eijl’S  auf  Sugen  unb  Unfmn : 
®em  bet  spvoBitjieln  feljtt,  pit  fie  fur  rebtidjeS  ®olb. 


Goethe 


MOUNTAIN  CRATER,  DOMINICA. 


THE  ENGLISH 

IN 

The  West  Indies 


OR,  THE  BOW  OF  ULYSSES 


BY 

JAMES  ANTHONY  FROUDE 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  ENGRAVED  ON  WOOD  BY  G.  PEARSON,  AFTER 
DRA  WINGS  BY  THE  AUTHOR 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS 
1888 


[All  rights  reserved ] 


PREFACE. 


My  purpose  in  writing  this  book  is  so  fully  explained 
in  the  hook  itself  that  a Preface  is  unnecessary.  I 
visited  the  West  India  Islands  in  order  to  increase  my 
acquaintance  with  the  condition  of  the  British  Colonies. 
I have  related  what  I saw  and  what  I heard,  with  the 
general  impressions  which  I was  led  to  form. 

In  a few  instances,  when  opinions  were  conveyed  to 
me  which  were  important  in  themselves,  hut  which  it 
might  be  undesirable  to  assign  to  the  persons  from  whom 
I heard  them,  I have  altered  initials  and  disguised  locali- 
ties and  circumstances. 

The  illustrations  are  from  sketches  of  my  own,  which, 
except  so  far  as  they  are  tolerably  like  the  scenes  which 
they  represent,  are  without  value.  They  have  been  made 
producible  by  the  skill  and  care  of  the  engraver,  Mr. 
Pearson,  to  whom  my  warmest  thanks  are  due. 

J.  A.  F. 


Onslow  Gardens  : November  15,  1887. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Colonial  policy — Union  or  separation — Self-government — Varieties 
of  condition — The  Pacific  colonies — The  West  Indies— Propo- 
sals for  a West  Indian  federation — Nature  of  the  population 
— American  union  and  British  plantations — Original  conquest 
of  the  West  Indies 1 


CHAPTER  H. 

In  the  train  for  Southampton — Morning  papers — The  new  ‘ Locks- 
ley  Hall  ’ — Past  and  present — The  ‘ Moselle  ’ — Heavy  weather 
— The  petrel — The  Azores 11 

CHAPTER  HI. 

The  tropics — Passengers  on  board — Account  of  the  Darien  canal 
— Planters’  complaints — West  Indian  history — The  Spanish 
conquest — Drake  and  Hawkins — The  buccaneers — The  pirates 
— French  and  English — Rodney — Battle  of  April  12 — Peace 
with  honour — Doers  and  talkers 23 

CHAPTER  IV. 

First  sight  of  Barbadoes — Origin  of  the  name — Pere  Labat — 
Bridgetown  two  hundred  years  ago— Slavery  and  Christianity 
— Economic  crisis — Sugar  bounties — Aspect  of  the  streets — 
Government  House  and  its  occupants— Duties  of  a governor  of 
Barbadoes 37 


CHAPTER  V. 

West  Indian  politeness — Negro  morals  and  felicity — Island  of 
St.  Vincent — Grenada — The  harbour — Disappearance  of  the 
whites — An  island  of  black  freeholders — Tobago — Dramatic 
art — A promising  incident  .......  48 


THE  ENGLISH  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


viii 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PAGE 

Charles  Kingsley  at  Trinidad — ‘Lay  of  the  Last  Buccaneer’ — A 
French  forban — Adventure  at  Aves — Mass  on  hoard  a pirate 
ship — Port  of  Spain — A house  in  the  tropics — A political  meet- 
ing— Government  House — The  Botanical  Gardens — Kingsley’s 
rooms — Sugar  estates  and  coolies 59 

CHAPTER  VII. 

A coolie  village — Negro  freeholds — Waterworks — Pythons — Slavery 
— Evidence  of  Lord  Rodney — Future  of  the  negroes— Necessity 
of  English  rule — The  Blue  Basin — Black  hoy  and  crayfish  . 75 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Home  Rule  in  Trinidad — Political  aspirations — Nature  of  the  pro- 
blem— Crown  administration — Colonial  governors — A Russian 
apologue — Dinner  at  Government  House — 1 The  Three  Fishers  ’ 

— Charles  Warner — Alternative  futures  of  the  colony  . . 85 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Barbadoes  again — Social  condition  of  the  island — Political  constitu- 
tion— Effects  of  the  sugar  bounties — Dangers  of  general  bank- 
ruptcy— The  Hall  of  Assembly — Sir  Charles  Pearson — Society 
in  Bridgetown — A morning  drive — Church  of  St.  John’s — Sir 
Graham  Briggs — An  old  planter’s  palace — The  Chief  Justice 
of  Barbadoes . 100 


CHAPTER  X. 

Leeward  and  Windward  Islands — The  Caribs  of  Dominica — Visit 
of  Pere  Labat — St.  Lucia — The  Pitons — The  harbour  at  Castries 
— Intended  coaling  station — Visit  to  the  administrator — The 
old  fort  and  barracks — Conversation  with  an  American — Con- 
stitution of  Dominica — Land  at  Roseau  .....  129 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Curiosities  in  Dominica — Nights  in  the  tropics — Engbsh  and  Catho- 
lic churches — The  market  place  at  Roseau — Fishing  extraor- 
dinary— A storm — Dominican  boatmen — Morning  walks — 
Effects  of  the  Leeward  Islands  Confederation — An  estate  culti- 
vated as  it  ought  to  be — A mountain  ride — Leave  the  island — 
Reflections  . . . . . . . . . . 150 


CONTENTS  ix 

CHAPTER  XII. 

PAGE 

The  Darien  canal — Jamaican  mail  packet — Captain  W. — Retrospect 
of  Jamaican  history — Waterspout  at  sea — Hayti — Jacmel — A 
walk  through  the  town — A Jamaican  planter — First  sight  of 
the  Blue  Mountains — Port  Royal — Kingston — The  Colonial 
Secretary — Gordon  riots — Changes  in  the  Jamaican  constitu- 
tion . ..........  17G 


CHAPTER  XHI. 

The  English  mails — Irish  agitation  - Two  kinds  of  colonies — Indian 
administration— How  far  applicable  in  the  West  Indies — Land 
at  Kingston — -Government  House — Dinner  party — Interesting 
officer — -Majuba  Hill— Mountain  station — Kingston  curiosities 
—Tobacco — Valley  in  the  Blue  Mountains  ....  204 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Visit  to  Port  Royal — Dockyard — -Town — Church — Fort  Augusta — 

The  eyrie  in  the  mountains— Ride  to  Newcastle — Society  in 
Jamaica — Religious  bodies — Liberty  and  authority  . . 222 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Church  of  England  in  Jamaica — Drive  to  Castleton — Botanical 
Gardens — Picnic  by  the  river — Black  women — Ball  at  Govern- 
ment House  — Mandeville  — Miss  Roy  — Country  Society — - 
Manners — American  visitors — A Moravian  missionary — The 
modern  Radical  creed  . . ......  237 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Jamaican  hospitality — Cherry  Garden — George  William  Gordon — 

The  Gordon  riots — Governor  Eyre — A dispute  and  its  conse- 
quences— Jamaican  country-house  society — Modern  specula- 
tion— A Spanish  fable — Port  Royal — The  commodore — Naval 
theatricals — The  modern  sailor  ......  255 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Present  state  of  Jamaica — Test  of  progress — Resources  of  the  island 
— Political  alternatives — Black  supremacy  and  probable  con- 
sequences— The  West  Indian  problem  .....  277 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Passage  to  Cuba — A Canadian  commissioner — Havana — The  Moro 
The  city  and  harbour — Cuban  money — American  visitors — 


X 


THE  ENGLISH  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES 


PAGE 

The  Cathedral — Tomb  of  Columbus — New  friends — The  late 
rebellion— Slave  emancipation — Spain  and  progress — A bull 
fight  ...........  288 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Hotels  in  Havana — Sights  in  the  city — Cigar  manufactories — West 
Indian  industries — The  Captain-General — The  Jesuit  college — 
Father  Vinez — Clubs  in  Havana — Spanish  aristocracy — Sea 
lodging  house  .........  309 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Return  to  Havana — The  Spaniards  in  Cuba — Prospects — American 
influence — Future  of  the  West  Indies — English  rumours — Leave 
Cuba — The  harbour  at  night — The  Bahama  Channel — Hayti — 

Port  au  Prince — The  black  republic — West  Indian  history  . 331 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Return  to  Jamaica — Cherry  Garden  again — Black  servants — Social 
conditions — Sir  Henry  Norman — King’s  House  once  more — 
Negro  suffrage — The  will  of  the  people — The  Irish  python — 
Conditions  of  colonial  union — Oratory  and  statesmanship  . 350 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Going  home— Retrospect — Alternative  courses — Future  of  the  Em- 
pire— Sovereignty  of  the  sea — The  Greeks— The  rights  of  man 
— Plato — The  voice  of  the  people — Imperial  federation  — 
Hereditary  colonial  policy — New  Irelands — Effects  of  party 
government  ..........  362 


ILLUSTRATIONS, 


Mountain  Crater,  Dominica  .... 

Blue  Basin,  Trinidad 

Morning  Walk,  Dominica.  .... 

Port  Royal,  Jamaica 

Valley  in  tiie  Blue  Mountains,  Jamaica 
Kingston  and  Harbour,  from  Cherry  Garden 
Havana,  from  the  Quarries  .... 
Port  au  Prince,  IIayti 


. Frontispiece 
To  face  page  82 
“ “ 154 

“ “ 194 

“ “ 220 

“ “ 266 

“ “ 294 

“ “ 827 


THE  ENGLISH  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Colonial  policy — Union  or  separation— Self-government — Varieties  of 
condition — The  Pacific  colonies — The  West  Indies — Proposals  for  a 
West  Indian  federation — Nature  of  the  population — American  union 
and  British  plantations— Original  conquest  of  the  West  Indies. 

The  Colonial  Exhibition  has  come  and  gone.  Delegates 
from  our  great  self-governed  dependencies  have  met  and 
consulted  together,  and  have  determined  upon  a common 
course  of  action  for  Imperial  defence.  The  British  race 
dispersed  over  the  world  have  celebrated  the  Jubilee  of  the 
Queen  with  an  enthusiasm  evidently  intended  to  bear  a 
special  and  peculiar  meaning.  The  people  of  these  islands 
and  their  sons  and  brothers  and  friends  and  kinsfolk  in 
Canada,  in  Australia,  and  in  New  Zealand  have  declared 
with  a general  voice,  scarcely  disturbed  by  a discord,  that 
they  are  fellow-subjects  of  a single  sovereign,  that  they  are 
united  in  feeling,  united  in  loyalty,  united  in  interest,  and 
that  they  wish  and  mean  to  preserve  unbroken  the  integrity 
of  the  British  Empire.  This  is  the  answer  which  the  democ- 
racy has  given  to  the  advocates  of  the  doctrine  of  separation. 
The  desire  for  union  while  it  lasts  is  its  own  realisation.  As 
long  as  we  have  no  wish  to  part  we  shall  not  part,  and  the 
wish  can  never  rise  if  when  there  is  occasion  we  can  meet  and 
deliberate  together  with  the  same  regard  for  each  other’s  wel- 
fare which  has  been  shown  in  the  late  conference  in  London. 


2 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

Events  mock  at  human  foresight,  and  nothing  is  certain 
but  the  unforeseen.  Constitutional  government  and  an  inde- 
pendent executive  were  conferred  upon  our  larger  colonies, 
with  the  express  and  scarcely  veiled  intention  that  at  the 
earliest  moment  they  were  to  relieve  the  mother  country  of 
responsibility  for  them.  They  were  regarded  as  fledgelings 
who  are  fed  only  by  the  parent  birds  till  their  feathers  are 
grown,  and  are  then  expected  to  shift  for  themselves.  They 
were  provided  with  the  full  plumage  of  parliamentary  insti- 
tutions on  the  home  pattern  and  model,  and  the  expectation 
of  experienced  politicians  was  that  they  would  each  at  the 
earliest  moment  go  off  on  their  separate  accounts,  and  would 
bid  us  a friendly  farewell.  The  irony  of  fate  has  turned  to 
folly  the  wisdom  of  the  wise.  The  wise  themselves,  the  same 
political  party  which  were  most  anxious  twenty  years  ago  to 
see  the  colonies  independent,  and  contrived  constitutions  for 
them  which  they  conceived  must  inevitably  lead  to  separation, 
appeal  now  to  the  effect  of  those  very  constitutions  in  drawing 
the  Empire  closer  together,  as  a reason  why  a similar  method 
should  be  immediately  adopted  to  heal  the  differences  be- 
tween Great  Britain  and  Ireland.  New  converts  to  any  be- 
lief, political  or  theological,  are  proverbially  zealous,  and  per- 
haps in  this  instance  they  are  over-hasty.  It  does  not  follow 
that  because  people  of  the  same  race  and  character  are  drawn 
together  by  equality  and  liberty,  people  of  different  races  and 
different  characters,  who  have  quarrelled  for  centuries,  will 
be  similarly  attracted  to  one  another.  Yet  so  far  as  our  own 
colonies  are  concerned  it  is  clear  that  the  abandonment  by 
the  mother  country  of  all  pretence  to  interfere  in  their  in- 
ternal management  has  removed  the  only  cause  which  could 
possibly  have  created  a desire  for  independence.  We  can- 
not, even  if  we  wish  it  ourselves,  shake  off  connections  who 
cost  us  nothing  and  themselves  refuse  to  be  divided.  Poli- 
ticians may  quarrel ; the  democracies  have  refused  to  quarrel ; 


3 


Colonial  Self-Government. 

and  the  result  of  the  wide  extension  of  the  suffrage  through- 
out the  Empire  has  been  to  show  that  being  one  the  British 
people  everywhere  intend  to  remain  one.  With  the  same 
blood,  the  same  language,  the  same  habits,  the  same  tra- 
ditions, they  do  not  mean  to  be  shattered  into  dishonoured 
fragments.  All  of  us,  wherever  we  are,  can  best  manage  our 
own  affairs  within  our  own  limits  ; yet  local  spheres  of  self- 
management can  revolve  round  a common  centre  while  there 
is  centripetal  power  sufficient  to  hold  them  ; and  so  long  as 
England  ‘ to  herself  is  true  ’ and  continues  worthy  of  her 
ancient  reputation,  there  are  no  causes  working  visibly  above 
the  political  horizon  which  are  likely  to  induce  our  self-gov- 
erned colonies  to  take  wing  and  leave  us.  The  strain  will 
come  with  the  next  great  war.  During  peace  these  colonies 
have  only  experienced  the  advantage  of  union  with  us.  They 
will  then  have  to  share  our  dangers,  and  may  ask  why  they 
are  to  be  involved  in  quarrels  which  are  not  of  their  own 
making.  How  they  will  act  then  only  experience  can  tell ; 
and  that  there  is  any  doubt  about  it  is  a sufficient  answer  to 
those  rapid  statesmen  who  would  rush  at  once  into  the  ap- 
plication of  the  same  principle  to  countries  whose  continuance 
with  us  is  vital  to  our  own  safety,  whom  we  cannot  part  with 
though  they  were  to  demand  it  at  the  cannon’s  mouth. 

But  the  result  of  the  experiment  is  an  encouragement  as 
far  as  it  has  gone  to  those  who  would  extend  self-govern- 
ment through  the  whole  of  our  colonial  system.  It  seems 
to  lead  as  a direct  road  into  the  ‘ Imperial  Federation  ’ 
which  has  fascinated  the  general  imagination.  It  removes 
friction.  We  relieve  ourselves  of  responsibilities.  If  federa- 
tion is  to  come  about  at  all  as  a definite  and  effective  organi- 
sation, the  spontaneous  action  of  the  different  members  of 
the  Empire  in  a position  in  which  they  are  free  to  stay  with 
us  or  to  leave  us  as  they  please,  appears  the  readiest  and 
perhaps  the  only  means  by  which  it  can  be  brought  to  pass. 


4 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

So  plausible  is  the  theory,  so  obviously  right  would  it  be 
were  the  problem  as  simple  and  the  population  of  all  our 
colonies  as  homogeneous  as  in  Australia,  that  one  cannot 
wonder  at  the  ambition  of  politicians  to  win  themselves  a 
name  and  achieve  a great  result  by  the  immediate  adoption 
of  it.  Great  results  generally  imply  effort  and  sacrifice. 
Here  effort  is  unnecessary  and  sacrifice  is  not  demanded. 
Everybody  is  to  have  what  he  wishes,  and  the  effect  is  to 
come  about  of  itself.  When  we  think  of  India,  when  we 
think  of  Ireland,  prudence  tells  us  to  hesitate.  Steps  once 
taken  in  this  direction  cannot  be  undone,  even  if  found  to 
lead  to  the  wrong  place.  But  undoubtedly,  wherever  it  is 
possible  the  principle  of  self-government  ought  to  be  applied 
in  our  colonies  and  will  be  applied,  and  the  danger  now  is 
that  it  will  be  tried  in  haste  in  countries  either  as  yet  unripe 
for  it  or  from  the  nature  of  things  unfit  for  it.  The  liberties 
which  we  grant  freely  to  those  whom  we  trust  and  who  do 
not  require  to  be  restrained,  we  bring  into  disrepute  if  we 
concede  them  as  readily  to  perversity  or  disaffection  or  to 
those  who,  like  most  Asiatics,  do  not  desire  liberty,  and  pros- 
per best  when  they  are  led  and  guided. 

In  this  complex  empire  of  ours  the  problem  presents  itself 
in  many  shapes,  and  each  must  be  studied  and  dealt  with 
according  to  its  character.  There  is  the  broad  distinction 
between  colonies  and  conquered  countries.  Colonists  are 
part  of  ourselves.  Foreigners  attached  by  force  to  our  do- 
minions may  submit  to  be  ruled  by  us,  but  will  not  always 
consent  to  rule  themselves  in  accordance  with  our  views  or 
interests,  or  remain  attached  to  us  if  we  enable  them  to  leave 
us  when  they  please.  The  Crown,  therefore,  as  in  India, 
rules  directly  by  the  police  and  the  army.  And  there  are 
colonies  which  are  neither  one  nor  the  other,  where  our  own 
people  have  been  settled  and  have  been  granted  the  land  in 
possession  with  the  control  of  an  insubordinate  population, 


Varieties  of  Character.  5 

themselves  claiming  political  privileges  which  had  to  be  re- 
fused to  the  rest.  This  was  the  position  of  Ireland,  and  the 
result  of  meddling  theoretically  with  it  ought  to  have  taught 
us  caution.  Again,  there  are  colonies  like  the  West  Indies, 
either  occupied  originally  by  ourselves,  as  Barbadoes,  or  taken 
by  force  from  France  or  Spain,  where  the  mass  of  the  popu- 
lation were  slaves  who  have  been  since  made  free,  but  where 
the  extent  to  which  the  coloured  people  can  be  admitted  to 
share  in  the  administration  is  still  an  unsettled  question. 
To  throw  countries  so  variously  circumstanced  under  an 
identical  system  would  be  a wild  experiment.  Whether  we 
ought  to  try  such  an  experiment  at  all,  or  even  wish  to  ti-y  it 
and  prepare  the  way  for  it,  depends  perhaps  on  whether  we 
have  determined  that  under  all  circumstances  the  retention 
of  them  under  our  own  flag  is  indispensable  to  our  safety. 

I had  visited  our  great  Pacific  colonies.  Circumstances 
led  me  afterwards  to  attend  more  particularly  to  the  West 
Indies.  They  were  the  earliest,  and  once  the  most  prized,  of 
all  our  distant  possessions.  They  had  been  -won  by  the  most 
desperate  struggles,  and  had  been  the  scene  of  our  greatest 
naval  glories.  In  the  recent  discussion  on  the  possibility  of 
an  organised  colonial  federation,  various  schemes  came  under 
my  notice,  in  every  one  of  which  the  union  of  the  West  Ind- 
ian Islands  under  a free  parliamentary  constitution  was  re- 
garded as  a necessary  preliminary.  I was  reminded  of  a con- 
versation which  I had  held  seventeen  years  ago  with  a high 
colonial  official  specially  connected  with  the  West  Indian  de- 
partment, in  which  the  federation  of  the  islands  under  such 
a constitution  was  spoken  of  as  a measure  already  determined 
on,  though  with  a view  to  an  end  exactly  the  opposite  of  that 
which  was  now  desired.  The  colonies  universally  were  then 
regarded  in  such  quarters  as  a burden  upon  our  resources,  of 
which  we  were  to  relieve  ourselves  at  the  earliest  moment. 
They  were  no  longer  of  value  to  us  ; the  whole  world  had  be- 


6 The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

come  our  market ; and  whether  they  were  nominally  attached 
to  the  Empire,  or  were  independent,  or  joined  themselves  to 
some  other  power,  was  of  no  commercial  moment  to  us.  It 
was  felt,  however,  that  as  long  as  any  tie  remained,  we  should 
be  obliged  to  defend  them  in  time  of  war  ; while  they,  in  con- 
sequence of  their  connection,  would  be  liable  to  attack.  The 
sooner,  therefore,  the  connection  was  ended,  the  better  for 
them  and  for  us. 

By  the  constitutions  which  had  been  conferred  upon  them, 
Australia  and  Canada,  New  Zealand  and  the  Cape,  were  as- 
sumed to  be  practically  gone.  The  same  measures  were  to 
be  taken  with  the  West  Indies.  They  were  not  prosperous. 
They  formed  no  outlet  for  British  emigration.  The  white 
population  was  diminishing  ; they  were  dissatisfied  ; they  lay 
close  to  the  great  American  republic,  to  which  geographically 
they  more  properly  belonged.  Representative  assemblies  un- 
der the  Crown  had  failed  to  produce  the  content  expected  from 
them  or  to  give  an  impulse  to  industry.  The  free  negroes 
could  not  long  be  excluded  from  the  franchise.  The  black 
and  white  races  had  not  amalgamated  and  were  not  inclining 
to  amalgamate.  The  then  recent  Gordon  riots  had  been  fol- 
lowed by  the  suicide  of  the  old  Jamaican  constitution.  The 
government  of  Jamaica  had  been  flung  back  upon  the 
Crown,  and  the  Crown  was  impatient  of  the  addition  to  its 
obligations.  The  official  of  whom  I speak  informed  me  that 
a decision  had  been  irrevocably  taken.  The  troops  were  to 
be  withdrawn  from  the  islands,  and  Jamaica,  Trinidad,  and 
the  English  Antilles  were  to  be  masters  of  their  own  destiny, 
either  to  form  into  free  communities  like  the  Spanish  Ameri- 
can republics,  or  join  the  United  States,  or  to  do  what  they 
pleased,  with  the  sole  understanding  that  we  were  to  have  no 
more  responsibilities. 

I do  not  know  how  far  the  scheme  was  matured.  To  an  out- 
side spectator  it  seemed  too  hazardous  to  have  been  seriously 


Whites  and  Blacks. 


7 


meditated.  Yet  I was  told  that  it  had  not  been  meditated 
only  but  positively  determined  upon,  and  that  further  discus- 
sion of  a settled  question  would  be  fruitless  and  needlessly 
irritating. 

Politicians  with  a favourite  scheme  are  naturally  sanguine. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  in  a West  Indian  Federation  the  black 
race  would  necessarily  be  admitted  to  their  full  rights  as  citi- 
zens. Their  numbers  enormously  preponderated,  and  the 
late  scenes  in  Jamaica  were  signs  that  the  two  colours  would 
not  blend  into  one,  that  there  might  be,  and  even  inevitably 
would  be,  collisions  between  them  which  would  lead  to  ac- 
tions which  we  could  not  tolerate.  The  white  residents  and 
the  negroes  had  not  been  drawn  together  by  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  but  were  further  apart  than  ever.  The  whites,  if  by 
superior  intelligence  they  could  gain  the  upper  hand,  would 
not  be  allowed  to  keep  it.  As  little  would  they  submit  to  be 
ruled  by  a race  whom  they  despised ; and  I thought  it  quite 
certain  that  something  would  happen  which  would  compel 
the  British  Government  to  interfere  again,  whether  we  liked 
it  or  not.  Liberty  in  Hayti  had  been  followed  by  a massacre 
of  the  French  inhabitants,  and  the  French  settlers  had 
done  no  worse  than  we  had  done  to  deserve  the  ill  will  of 
their  slaves.  Fortunately  opinion  changed  in  England  be- 
fore the  experiment  could  be  tried.  The  colonial  policy  of 
the  doctrinaire  statesmen  was  no  sooner  understood  than  it 
was  universally  condemned,  and  they  could  not  press  propo- 
sals on  the  West  Indies  which  the  West  Indians  showed  so 
little  readiness  to  meet. 

So  things  drifted  on,  remaining  to  appearance  as  they  were. 
The  troops  were  not  recalled.  A minor  confederation  was 
formed  in  the  Leeward  Antilles.  The  Windward  group  was 
placed  under  Barbadoes,  and  islands  which  before  had  gov- 
ernors of  their  own  passed  under  subordinate  administrators. 
Local  councils  continued  under  various  conditions,  the  popu- 


8 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


lar  element  being  cautiously  and  silently  introduced.  The 
blacks  settled  into  a condition  of  easy-going  peasant  pro- 
prietors. But  so  far  as  the  white  or  English  interest  was  con- 
cerned, two  causes  which  undermined  West  Indian  prosperity 
continued  to  operate.  So  long  as  sugar  maintained  its  price 
the  planters  with  the  help  of  coolie  labour  were  able  to  strug- 
gle on ; but  the  beetroot  bounties  came  to  cut  from  under 
them  the  industry  in  which  they  had  placed  then-  main  de- 
pendence ; the  reports  were  continually  darker  of  distress 
and  rapidly  approaching  ruin.  Petitions  for  protection  were 
not  or  could  not  be  granted.  They  were  losing  heart — the 
worst  loss  of  all ; while  the  Home  Government,  no  longer 
with  a view  to  separation,  but  with  the  hope  that  it  might 
produce  the  same  effect  which  it  had  produced  elsewhere,  were 
still  looking  to  their  old  remedy  of  the  extension  of  the  prin- 
ciple of  self-government.  One  serious  step  was  taken  very 
recently  towards  the  re-establishment  of  a constitution  in  Ja- 
maica. It  was  assumed  that  it  had  failed  before  because  the 
blacks  were  not  properly  represented.  The  council  was  again 
made  partially  elective,  and  the  black  vote  was  admitted  on 
the  widest  basis.  A power  was  retained  by  the  Crown  of  in- 
creasing in  case  of  necessity  the  nominated  official  members 
to  a number  which  would  counterbalance  the  elected  mem- 
bers ; but  the  power  had  not  been  acted  on  and  was  not  per- 
haps designed  to  continue,  and  a restless  hope  was  said  to 
have  revived  among  the  negroes  that  the  day  was  not  far  off 
when  Jamaica  would  be  as  Hayti  and  they  would  have  the 
island  to  themselves. 

To  a person  like  myself,  to  whom  the  preservation  of  the 
British  Empire  appeared  to  be  the  only  public  cause  in  which 
just  now  it  was  possible  to  feel  concern,  the  problem  was  ex- 
tremely interesting.  I had  no  prejudice  against  self-govern- 
ment. I had  seen  the  Australian  colonies  growing  under  it 
in  health  and  strength  with  a rapidity  which  rivalled  the 


The  American  Union. 


9 


progress  of  the  American  Union  itself.  I had  observed  in 
South  Africa  that  the  confusions  and  perplexities  there  di- 
minished exactly  in  proportion  as  the  Home  Government 
ceased  to  interfere.  I could  not  hope  that  as  an  outsider  I 
could  see  my  way  through  difficulties  where  practised  eyes 
were  at  a loss.  But  it  was  clear  that  the  West  Indies  were 
suffering,  be  the  cause  what  it  might.  I learnt  that  a party 
had  risen  there  at  last  which  was  actually  in  favour  of  a union 
with  America,  and  I wished  to  find  an  answer  to  a question 
which  I had  long  asked  myself  to  no  purpose.  My  old  friend 
Mr.  Motley  was  once  speaking  to  me  of  the  probable  acces- 
sion of  Canada  to  the  American  republic.  I asked  him  if  he 
was  sure  that  Canada  would  like  it.  ‘ Like  it  ? ’ he  replied. 
‘ Would  I like  the  house  of  Baring  to  take  me  into  partner- 
ship ? ’ To  be  a partner  in  the  British  Empire  appeared  to 
me  to  be  at  least  as  great  a thing  as  to  be  a state  under  the 
stars  and  stripes.  What  was  it  that  Canada,  what  was  it  that 
any  other  colony,  would  gain  by  exchanging  British  citizen- 
ship for  American  citizenship  ? What  did  America  offer  to 
those  who  joined  her  which  we  refused  to  give  or  neglected 
to  give  ? Was  it  that  Great  Britain  did  not  take  her  colonies 
into  partnership  at  all  ? was  it  that  while  in  the  United  States 
the  blood  circulated  freely  from  the  heart  to  the  extremities, 
so  that  ‘if  one  member  suffered  all  the  body  suffered  with  it,’ 
our  colonies  were  simply  (as  they  used  to  be  called)  ‘ planta- 
tions,’ offshoots  from  the  old  stock  set  down  as  circumstan- 
ces  had  dictated  in  various  parts  of  the  globe,  but  vitally  de- 
tached and  left  to  grow  or  to  wither  according  to  their  own 
inherent  strength  ? 

At  one  time  the  West  Indian  colonies  had  been  more  to  us 
than  such  casual  seedlings.  They  had  been  regarded  as 
precious  jewels,  which  hundreds  of  thousands  of  English 
lives  had  been  sacrificed  to  tear  from  France  and  Spain.  The 
Caribbean  Sea  was  the  cradle  of  the  Naval  Empire  of  Great 


10 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

Britain.  There  Drake  and  Hawkins  intercepted  the  golden 
stream  which  flowed  from  Panama  into  the  exchequer  at 
Madrid,  and  furnished  Philip  with  the  means  to  carry  on  his 
war  with  the  Reformation.  The  Pope  had  claimed  to  be  lord 
of  the  new  world  as  well  as  of  the  old,  and  had  declared  that 
Spaniards,  and  only  Spaniards,  should  own  territory  or  carry 
on  trade  there  within  the  tropics.  The  seamen  of  England 
took  up  the  challenge  and  replied  with  cannon  shot.  It  was 
not  the  Crown,  it  was  not  the  Government,  which  fought  that 
battle : it  was  the  people  of  England,  who  fought  it  with 
their  own  hands  and  their  own  resources.  Adventurers,  buc- 
caneers, corsairs,  privateers,  call  them  by  what  name  we  will, 
stand  as  extraordinary  but  characteristic  figures  on  the  stage 
of  history,  disowned  or  acknowledged  by  their  sovereign  as 
suited  diplomatic  convenience.  The  outlawed  pirate  of  one 
year  was  promoted  the  next  to  be  a governor  and  his  coun- 
try’s representative.  In  those  waters  the  men  were  formed 
and  trained  who  drove  the  Armada  through  the  Channel  into 
wreck  and  ruin.  In  those  waters,  in  the  centuries  which  fol- 
lowed, France  and  England  fought  for  the  ocean  empire,  and 
England  won  it — won  it  on  the  day  when  her  own  politicians’ 
hearts  had  failed  them,  and  all  the  powers  of  the  world  had 
combined  to  humiliate  her,  and  Rodney  shattered  the  French 
fleet,  saved  Gibraltar,  and  avenged  York  Town.  If  ever  the 
naval  exploits  of  this  country  are  done  into  an  epic  poem — 
and  since  the  Iliad  there  has  been  no  subject  better  fitted  for 
such  treatment  or  better  deserving  it — the  West  Iudies  'will 
be  the  scene  of  the  most  brilliant  cantos.  For  England  to 
allow  them  to  drift  away  from  her  because  they  have  no  im- 
mediate marketable  value,  would  be  a sign  that  she  had  lost 
the  feelings  with  which  great  nations  always  treasure  the 
heroic  traditions  of  their  fathers.  When  those  traditions 
come  to  be  regarded  as  something  which  concerns  them  no 
longer,  their  greatness  is  already  on  the  wane. 


CHAPTER  H. 


In  the  train  for  Southampton — Morning  papers— The  new  ‘Locksley 
Hall  ’—Past  and  present — The  1 Moselle  ’ — Heavy  weather — The 
petrel — The  Azores. 

The  last  week  in  December,  when  the  year  1886  was  wan- 
ing to  its  close,  I left  Waterloo  station  to  join  a West  Indian 
mail  steamer  at  Southampton.  The  air  was  frosty  ; the  fog 
lay  thick  over  city  and  river  ; the  Houses  of  Parliament  them- 
selves were  scarcely  visible  as  I drove  across  Westminster 
Bridge  in  the  heavy  London  vapour — a symbol  of  the  cloud 
which  was  hanging  over  the  immediate  political  future. 
The  morning  papers  were  occupied  with  Lord  Tennyson’s 
new  ‘ Locksley  Hall  ’ and  Mr.  Gladstone’s  remarks  upon  it. 
I had  read  neither  ; but  from  the  criticisms  it  appeared  that 
Lord  Tennyson  fancied  himself  to  have  seen  a change  pass 
over  England  since  his  boyhood,  and  a change  which  was  not 
to  his  mind.  The  fruit  of  the  new  ideas  which  were  then 
rising  from  the  ground  had  ripened,  and  the  taste  was  dis- 
agreeable to  him.  The  day  which  had  followed  that  * august 
sunrise  ’ had  not  been  ‘ august  ’ at  all ; and  ‘ the  beautiful 
bold  brow  of  Freedom  ’ had  proved  to  have  something  of 
brass  upon  it.  The  ‘ use  and  wont  ’ England,  the  England 
out  of  which  had  risen  the  men  who  had  won  her  great  posi- 
tion for  her,  was  losing  its  old  characteristics.  Things  which 
in  his  eager  youth  Lord  Tennyson  had  despised  he  saw  now 
that  he  had  been  mistaken  in  despising ; and  the  new  notions 
which  were  to  remake  the  world  were  not  remaking  it  in  a 
shape  that  pleased  him.  Like  Goethe,  perhaps  he  felt  that 


12  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

he  was  stumbling  over  the  roots  of  the  tree  which  he  had 
helped  to  plant. 

The  contrast  in  Mr.  Gladstone’s  article  was  certainly  re- 
markable. Lord  Tennyson  saw  in  institutions  which  were 
passing  away  the  decay  of  what  in  its  time  had  been  great 
and  noble,  and  he  saw  little  rising  in  the  place  of  them  which 
humanly  could  be  called  improvement.  To  Mr.  Gladstone 
these  revolutionary  years  had  been  years  of  the  sweeping  off 
of  long  intolerable  abuses,  and  of  awaking  to  higher  and 
truer  perceptions  of  duty.  Never,  according  to  him,  in  any 
period  of  her  history  had  England  made  more  glorious  prog- 
ress, never  had  stood  higher  than  at  the  present  moment  in 
material  power  and  moral  excellence.  How  could  it  be  other- 
wise when  they  were  the  years  of  his  own  ascendency  ? 

Metaphysicians  tell  us  that  we  do  not  know  anything  as  it 
really  is.  What  we  call  outward  objects  are  but  impi-essions 
generated  upon  our  sense  by  forces  of  the  actual  nature  of 
which  we  are  totally  ignorant.  We  imagine  that  we  hear  a 
sound,  and  that  the  sound  is  something  real  which  is  outside 
us  ; but  the  sound  is  in  the  ear  and  is  made  by  the  ear,  and  the 
thing  outside  is  but  a vibration  of  air.  If  no  animal  existed 
with  organs  of  hearing  the  vibrations  might  be  as  before,  but 
there  would  be  no  such  thing  as  sound  ; and  all  our  opinions 
on  all  subjects  whatsoever  were  equally  subjective.  Lord 
Tennyson’s  opinions  and  Mr.  Gladstone’s  opinions  reveal  to 
us  only  the  nature  and  texture  of  their  own  minds,  which 
have  been  affected  in  this  way  or  that  way.  The  scale  has  not 
been  made  in  which  wfe  can  weigh  the  periods  in  a nation’s 
life,  or  measure  them  one  against  the  other.  The  past  is 
gone,  and  nothing  but  the  bones  of  it  can  be  recalled.  We 
but  half  understand  the  present,  for  each  age  is  a chrysalis, 
and  we  are  ignorant  into  what  it  may  develop.  We  do  not 
even  try  to  understand  it  honestly,  for  we  shut  our  eyes 
against  what  we  do  not  wish  to  see.  I will  not  despond  with 


Past  and  Present. 


13 


Lord  Tennyson.  To  take  a gloomy  view  of  tilings  will  not 
mend  them,  and  modern  enlightenment  may  have  excellent 
gifts  in  store  for  us  which  will  come  by-and-by,  but  I will  not 
say  that  they  have  come  as  yet.  I will  not  say  that  public 
life  is  improved  when  party  spirit  has  degenerated  into  an 
organised  civil  war,  and  a civil  war  which  can  never  end,  for 
it  renews  its  life  like  the  giant  of  fable  at  every  fresh  election. 
I will  not  say  that  men  are  more  honest  and  more  law-abid- 
ing when  debts  are  repudiated  and  law  is  defied  in  half  the 
country,  and  Mr.  Gladstone  himself  applauds  or  refuses  to 
condemn  acts  of  open  dishonesty.  We  are  to  congratulate 
ourselves  that  duelling  has  ceased,  but  I do  not  know  that 
men  act  more  honourably  because  they  can  be  called  less 
sharply  to  account.  ‘Smuggling,’  we  are  told,  has  disap- 
peared also,  but  the  wrecker  scuttles  his  ship  or  runs  it 
ashore  to  cheat  the  insurance  office.  The  Church  may  per- 
haps be  improved  in  the  arrangement  of  the  services  and  in 
the  professional  demonstrativeness  of  the  clergy,  but  I am 
not  sure  that  the  clergy  have  more  influence  over  the  minds 
of  men  than  they  had  fifty  years  ago,  or  that  the  doctrines 
which  the  Church  teaches  are  more  powerful  over  public 
opinion.  One  would  not  gather  that  our  morality  was  so  su- 
perior from  the  reports  which  we  see  in  the  newspaper,  and 
girls  now  talk  over  novels  which  the  ladies’  maids  of  their 
grandmothers  might  have  read  in  secret  but  would  have 
blushed  while  reading.  Each  age  would  do  better  if  it  stud- 
ied its  own  faults  and  endeavoured  to  mend  them  instead  of 
comparing  itself  with  others  to  its  own  advantage. 

This  only  was  clear  to  me  in  thinking  over  what  Mr.  Glad- 
stone was  reported  to  have  said,  and  in  thinking  of  his  own 
achievements  and  career,  that  there  are  two  classes  of  men 
who  have  played  and  still  play  a prominent  part  in  the  world 
— those  who  accomplish  great  things,  and  those  who  talk  and 
make  speeches  about  them.  The  doers  of  things  are  for  the 


14 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

most  part  silent.  Those  who  build  up  empires  or  discover 
secrets  of  science,  those  who  paint  great  pictures  or  write 
great  poems,  are  not  often  to  be  found  spouting  upon  plat- 
forms. The  silent  men  do  the  work.  The  talking  men  cry 
out  at  what  is  done  because  it  is  not  done  as  they  would  have 
had  it,  and  afterwards  take  possession  of  it  as  if  it  was  their 
own  property.  Warren  Hastings  wins  India  for  us  ; the  elo- 
quent Burke  desires  and  passionately  tries  to  hang  him  for 
it.  At  the  supreme  crisis  in  our  history  when  America  had 
revolted  and  Ireland  was  defiant,  when  the  great  powers  of 
Europe  had  coalesced  to  crush  us,  and  we  were  staggering 
under  the  disaster  at  York  Town,  Rodney  struck  a blow  iu 
the  West  Indies  which  sounded  over  the  world  and  saved  for 
Britain  her  ocean  sceptre.  Just  in  time,  for  the  popular 
leaders  had  persuaded  the  House  of  Commons  that  Rodney 
ought  to  be  recalled  and  peace  made  on  any  terms.  Even  iu 
politics  the  names  of  oratorical  statesmen  are  rarely  associ- 
ated Avith  the  organic  growth  of  enduring  institutions.  The 
most  distinguished  of  them  have  been  conspicuous  only  as 
instruments  of  destruction.  Institutions  are  the  slowgroAvths 
of  centuries.  The  orator  cuts  them  down  in  a day.  The  tree 
falls,  and  the  hand  that  wields  the  axe  is  admired  and  ap- 
plauded. The  speeches  of  Demosthenes  and  Cicero  pass 
into  literature,  and  are  studied  as  models  of  language.  But 
Demosthenes  and  Cicero  did  not  understand  the  facts  of  their 
time  ; their  language  might  be  beautiful,  and  their  senti- 
ments noble,  but  with  their  fine  words  and  sentiments  they 
only  misled  their  countrymen.  The  periods  where  the  ora- 
tor is  supreme  are  marked  always  by  confusion  and  disinte- 
gration. Goethe  could  say  of  Luther  that  he  had  thrown 
back  for  centuries  the  spiritual  cultivation  of  mankind,  by 
calling  the  passions  of  the  multitude  to  judge  of  matters 
which  should  have  been  left  to  the  thinkers.  We  ourselves 
are  just  now  in  one  of  those  uneasy  periods,  and  we  have  de- 


15 


The  Bow  of  Ulysses. 

cidecl  that  orators  are  the  fittest  people  to  rule  over  us.  The 
constituencies  choose  their  members  according  to  the  fluency 
of  their  tongues.  Can  he  make  a speech  ? is  the  one  test  of 
competency  for  a legislator,  and  the  most  persuasive  of  the 
whole  we  make  prime  minister.  We  admire  the  man  for  his 
gifts,  and  we  accept  what  he  says  for  the  manner  in  which  it 
is  uttered.  He  may  contradict  to-day  what  he  asserted  yes- 
terday. No  matter.  He  can  persuade  others  wherever  he  is 
persuaded  himself.  And  such  is  the  nature  of  him  that  he 
can  convince  himself  of  anything  which  it  is  his  interest  to 
believe.  These  are  the  persons  who  are  now  regarded  as 
our  wisest.  It  was  not  always  so.  It  is  not  so  now  with  na- 
tions who  are  in  a sound  state  of  health.  The  Americans, 
when  they  choose  a President  or  a Secretary  of  State  or  any 
functionary  from  whom  they  require  wise  action,  do  not  se- 
lect these  famous  speech-makers.  Such  periods  do  not  last, 
for  the  condition  which  they  bring  about  becomes  always  in- 
tolerable. I do  not  believe  in  the  degeneracy  of  our  race.  I 
believe  the  present  generation  of  Englishmen  to  be  capable 
of  all  that  their  fathers  were,  and  possibly  of  more  ; but  we 
are  just  now  in  a moulting  state,  and  are  sick  while  the  pro- 
cess is  going  on.  Or  to  take  another  metaphor.  The  bow  of 
Ulysses  is  unstrung.  The  worms  have  not  eaten  into  the 
horn  or  the  moths  injured  the  string,  but  the  owner  of  the 
house  is  away  and  the  suitors  of  Penelope  Britannia  consume 
her  substance,  rivals  one  of  another,  each  caring  only  for 
himself,  but  with  a common  heart  in  evil.  They  cannot 
string  the  bow.  Only  the  true  lord  and  master  can  string  it, 
and  in  due  time  he  comes,  and  the  cord  is  stretched  once 
more  upon  the  notch,  singing  to  the  touch  of  the  finger  with 
the  sharp  note  of  the  swallow  ; and  the  arrows  fly  to  their 
mark  in  the  breasts  of  the  pretenders,  while  Pallas  Athene 
looks  on  approving  from  her  coign  of  vantage. 

Random  meditations  of  this  kind  were  sent  flying  through 


16 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


me  by  the  newspaper  articles  on  Tennyson  and  Mr.  Glad- 
stone. The  air  cleared,  and  my  mind  also,  as  we  ran  beyond 
the  smoke.  The  fields  were  covered  deep  with  snow ; a 
white  vapour  clung  along  the  ground,  the  winter  sky  shining 
through  it  soft  and  blue.  The  ponds  and  canals  were  hard 
frozen,  and  men  were  skating  and  boys  were  sliding,  and  all 
was  brilliant  and  beautiful.  The  ladies  of  the  forest,  the 
birch  trees  beside  the  line  about  Farnborough,  were  hung 
with  jewels  of  ice,  and  glittered  like  a fretwork  of  purple  and 
silver.  It  was  like  escaping  out  of  a nightmare  into  happy 
healthy  England  once  more.  In  the  carriage  with  me  were 
several  gentlemen  ; officers  going  out  to  join  their  regi- 
ments ; planters  who  had  been  at  home  on  business ; young 
sportsmen  with  rifles  and  cartridge  cases  who  were  hoping 
to  shoot  alligators,  &c.,  all  bound  like  myself  for  the  West 
Indian  mail  steamer.  The  elders  talked  of  sugar  and  of 
bounties,  and  of  the  financial  ruin  of  the  islands.  I had 
heard  of  this  before  I started,  and  I learnt  little  from  them 
which  I had  not  known  already  ; but  I had  misgivings 
whether  I was  not  wandering  off  after  all  on  a fool’s  errand. 
I did  not  want  to  shoot  alligators,  I did  not  understand  cane 
growing  or  want  to  understand  it,  nor  was  I likely  to  find  a 
remedy  for  encumbered  and  bankrupt  landowners.  I was  at 
an  age  too  when  men  grow  unfit  for  roaming,  and  are  ex- 
pected to  stay  quietly  at  home.  Plato  says  that  to  travel  to 
any  profit  one  should  go  between  fifty  and  sixty  ; not  sooner 
because  one  has  one’s  duties  to  attend  to  as  a citizen  ; not 
after  because  the  mind  becomes  hebetated.  The  chief  object 
of  going  abroad,  in  Plato’s  opinion,  is  to  converse  with  6 dot 
avSpes,  inspired  men,  whom  Providence  scatters  about  the 
globe,  and  from  whom  alone  wisdom  can  be  learnt.  And  I, 
alas ! was  long  past  the  limit,  and  Oeloi  avSpes  are  not  to  be 
met  with  in  these  times.  But  if  not  with  inspired  men,  I 
might  fall  in  at  any  rate  with  sensible  men  who  would  talk 


‘ The  Moselle .’ 


17 


on  things  which  I wanted  to  know.  Winter  and  spring  in  a 
warm  climate  were  pleasanter  than  a winter  and  spring  at 
home  ; and  as  there  is  compensation  in  all  things,  old  people 
can  see  some  objects  more  clearly  than  young  people  can  see 
them.  They  have  no  interests  of  their  own  to  mislead  their 
perception.  They  have  lived  too  long  to  believe  in  any  for- 
mulas or  theories.  ‘Old  age,’  the  Greek  poet  says,  ‘is  not 
wholly  a misfortune.  Experience  teaches  things  Avliich  the 
young  know  not.’ 1 Old  men  at  any  rate  like  to  think  so. 

The  ‘Moselle,’  in  which  I had  taken  my  passage,  was  a 
large  steamer  of  4,000  tons,  one  of  the  best  where  all  are 
good— -on  the  West  Indian  mail  line.  Her  long  straight  sides 
and  rounded  bottom  promised  that  she  would  roll,  and  I may 
say  that  the  promise  was  faithfully  kept  ; but  except  to  the 
stomachs  of  the  inexperienced  rolling  is  no  disadvantage. 
A vessel  takes  less  water  on  board  in  a beam  sea  when  she 
yields  to  the  wave  than  when  she  stands  up  stiff  and  straight 
against  it.  The  deck  when  I went  on  board  was  slippery 
with  ice.  There  was  the  usual  crowd  and  confusion  before 
departure,  those  who  were  going  out  being  undistinguishable, 
till  the  bell  rang  to  clear  the  ship,  from  the  friends  who  had 
accompanied  them  to  take  leave.  I discovered,  however, 
to  my  satisfaction  that  our  party  in  the  cabin  would  not  be 
a large  one.  The  West  Indians  who  had  come  over  for  the 
Colonial  Exhibition  were  most  of  them  already  gone.  They, 
along  with  the  rest,  had  taken  back  with  them  a conscious- 
ness that  their  visit  had  not  been  wholly  in  vain,  and  that 
the  interest  of  the  old  country  in  her  distant  possessions 
seemed  quickening  into  life  once  more.  The  commissioners 
from  all  our  dependencies  had  been  feted  in  the  great  towns, 
and  the  people  had  come  to  Kensington  in  millions  to  admire 

1 S>  tIkvov , ovx  airavra  tw  yrfpo.  icaicd  ' 

. . . rifj-Treipia 

iXei  Tl  Ae£aj  rwp  ycW  avcp&Tepev. 


2 


18 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


the  productions  which  bore  witness  to  the  boundless  resources 
of  British  territory.  Had  it  been  only  a passing  emotion  of 
wonder  and  pride,  or  was  it  a prelude  to  a more  energetic  pol- 
icy and  active  resolution  ? Any  way  it  was  something  to  be 
glad  of.  Receptions  and  public  dinners  and  loyal  speeches 
will  not  solve  political  problems,  but  they  create  the  feeling 
of  good  will  which  underlies  the  useful  consideration  of  them. 
The  Exhibition  had  served  the  purpose  which  it  was  intended 
for.  The  conference  of  delegates  grew  out  of  it  which  has 
discussed  in  the  happiest  temper  the  elements  of  our  future 
relations. 

But  the  Exhibition  doors  were  now  closed,  and  the  multi- 
tude of  admirers  or  contributors  were  dispersed  or  dispersing 
to  their  homes.  In  the  * Moselle  ’ we  had  only  the  latest 
lingerers  or  the  ordinary  passengers  who  went  to  and  fro  on 
business  or  pleasure.  I observed  them  with  the  curiosity 
with  which  one  studies  persons  with  whom  one  is  to  be  shut 
up  for  weeks  in  involuntary  intimacy.  One  young  Demerara 
planter  attracted  my  notice,  as  he  had  with  him  a newly  mar- 
ried and  beautiful  wife  whose  fresh  complexion  would  so  soon 
fade,  as  it  always  does  in  those  lands  where  nature  is  brilliant 
with  colour  and  English  cheeks  grow  pale.  I found  also  to  my 
surprise  and  pleasure  a daughter  of  one  of  my  oldest  and 
dearest  friends,  who  was  going  out  to  join  her  husband  in 
Trinidad.  This  was  a happy  accident  to  start  with.  An  an- 
nouncement printed  in  Spanish  in  large  letters  in  a conspicu- 
ous position  intimated  that  I must  be  prepared  for  habits  iu 
some  of  our  companions  of  a less  agreeable  kind. 

‘ Se  suplica  a los  senores  pasajeros  de  no  escupir  sobre  la 
cubierta  de  popa.’ 

I may  as  well  leave  the  words  untranslated,  but  the 
‘supplication’  is  not  unnecessary.  The  Spanish  colonists, 
like  their  countrymen  at  home,  smoke  everywhere,  with  the 
usual  consequences.  The  captain  of  one  of  our  mail  boats 


£ The  Moselle 


19 


found  it  necessary  to  read  one  of  them  who  disregarded  it 
a lesson  which  he  would  remember.  He  sent  for  the 
quartermaster  with  a bucket  and  a mop,  and  ordered  him  to 
stay  by  this  gentleman  and  clean  up  till  he  had  done. 

The  wind  when  we  started  was  light  and  keen  from  the 
north.  The  afternoon  sky  was  clear  and  frosty.  Southamp- 
ton Water  was  still  as  oil,  and  the  sun  went  down  crimson 
behind  the  brown  woods  of  the  New  Forest.  Of  the  ‘Mo- 
selle’s’ speed  we  had  instant  evidence,  for  a fast  Government 
launch  raced  us  for  a mile  or  two,  and  off  Netley  gave  up  the 
chase.  We  went  leisurely  along,  doing  thirteen  knots  with- 
out effort,  swept  by  Calshot  into  the  Solent,  and  had  cleared 
the  Needles  before  the  last  daylight  had  left  us.  In  a few 
days  the  ice  would  be  gone,  and  we  should  lie  in  the  soft  air 
of  perennial  summer. 

Singula  de  nobis  anni  prsedantur  euntes  : 

Eripuere  jocos,  Venerem,  convivia,  ludum — 

But  the  flying  years  had  not  stolen  from  me  the  delight  of 
finding  myself  once  more  upon  the  sea  ; the  sea  which  is 
eternally  young,  and  gives  one  back  one’s  own  youth  and 
buoyancy. 

Down  the  Channel  the  north  wind  still  blew,  and  the  water 
was  still  smooth.  We  set  our  canvas  at  the  Needles,  and  flew 
on  for  three  days  straight  upon  our  course  with  a steady 
breeze.  We  crossed  ‘ the  Bay  ’ without  the  fiddles  on  the 
dinner  table  ; we  were  congratulating  ourselves  that  mid- 
winter as  it  was  we  should  1’each  the  tropics  and  never  need 
them.  I meanwhile  made  acquaintances  among  my  West 
Indian  fellow-passengers,  and  listened  to  their  tale  of  griev- 
ances. The  Exhibition  had  been  well  enough  in  its  way,  but 
Exhibitions  would  not  fill  an  empty  exchequer  or  restore 
ruined  plantations.  The  mother  country  I found  was  still 
regarded  as  a stepmother,  and  from  more  than  one  quarter  I 


20  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

heard  a more  than  muttered  wish  that  they  could  be  * taken 
into  partnership  ’ by  the  Americans.  They  were  wasting 
away  under  Free  Trade  and  the  sugar  bounties.  The  mother 
country  gave  them  fine  words,  but  words  were  all.  If  they 
belonged  to  the  United  States  they  would  have  the  benefit  of 
a close  market  in  a country  Avhere  there  were  50,000,000 
sugar  drinkers.  Energetic  Americans  would  come  among 
them  and  establish  new  industries,  and  would  control  the  un- 
manageable negroes.  From  the  most  loyal  I heard  the  de- 
spairing cry  of  the  Britons,  ‘ the  barbarians  drive  us  into  the 
sea  and  the  sea  drives  us  back  upon  the  barbarians.’  They 
could  bear  Free  Trade  which  was  fair  all  round,  but  not 
Free  Trade  which  was  made  into  a mockery  by  bounties. 
And  it  seemed  that  their  masters  in  Downing  Street  an- 
swered them  as  the  Romans  answered  our  forefathers.  * We 
have  many  colonies,  and  we  shall  not  miss  Britain.  Britain 
is  far  off,  and  must  take  care  of  herself.  She  brings  us  re- 
sponsibility, and  she  brings  us  no  revenue  ; we  cannot  tax 
Italy  for  the  sake  of  Britons.  We  have  given  them  our  arms 
and  our  civilisation.  We  have  done  enough.  Let  them  do 
now  what  they  can  or  please.’  Virtually  this  is  what  England 
says  to  the  West  Indians,  or  would  say  if  despair  made  them 
actively  troublesome,  notwithstanding  Exhibitions  and  expan- 
sive sentiments.  The  answer  from  Rome  we  can  now  see  was 
the  voice  of  dying  greatness,  which  was  no  longer  worthy  of 
the  place  in  the  world  which  it  had  made  for  itself  in  the  days 
of  its  strength  ; but  it  doubtless  seemed  reasonable  enough 
at  the  time,  and  indeed  was  the  only  answer  which  the  Rome 
of  Honorius  could  give. 

A change  in  the  weather  cut  short  our  conversation,  and 
drove  half  the  company  to  their  berths.  On  the  fourth  morn- 
ing the  wind  chopped  back  to  the  northwest.  A beam-sea 
set  in,  and  the  ‘Moselle  ’ justified  my  conjectures  about  her. 
She  rolled  gunwale  under,  rolled  at  least  forty  degrees  each 


A Storm  at  Sea. 


21 


way,  and  unshipped  a boat  out  of  lier  davits  to  windward. 
The  waves  were  not  as  high  as  I have  known  the  Atlantic 
produce  when  in  the  humour  for  it,  but  they  were  short, 
steep,  and  curling.  Tons  of  water  poured  over  the  deck. 
The  few  of  us  who  ventured  below  to  dinner  were  hit  by  the 
dumb  waiters  which  swung  over  our  heads  ; and  the  living- 
waiters  staggered  about  with  the  dishes  and  upset  the  soup 
into  our  laps.  Everybody  was  grumbling  and  miserable. 
Driven  to  my  cabin  I was  dozing  on  a sofa  when  I was  jerked 
off  and  dropped  upon  the  floor.  The  noise  down  below  on 
these  occasions  is  considerable.  The  steering  chains  clank, 
unfastened  doors  slam  to  and  fro,  plates  and  dishes  and  glass 
fall  crashing  at  some  lurch  which  is  heavier  than  usual,  with 
the  roar  of  the  sea  underneath  as  a constant  accompaniment. 

When  a wave  strikes  the  ship  full  on  the  quarter  and  she 
staggers  from  stem  to  stern,  one  wonders  how  any  construc- 
tion of  wood  and  iron  can  endure  such  blows  without  being 
shattered  to  fragments.  And  it  would  be  shattered,  as  I 
heard  an  engineer  once  say,  if  the  sea  was  not  such  a gentle 
creature  after  all.  I crept  up  to  the  deck  house  to  watch 
through  the  lee  door  the  wild  magnificence  of  the  storm. 
Down  came  a great  green  wave,  rushed  in  a flood  over  every- 
thing, and  swept  me  drenched  to  the  skin  down  the  stairs 
into  the  cabin.  I crawled  to  bed  to  escape  cold,  and  slid  up 
and  down  my  berth  like  a shuttle  at  every  roll  of  the  ship  till 
I fell  into  the  unconsciousness  which  is  a substitute  for  sleep, 
slept  at  last  really,  and  woke  at  seven  in  the  morning  to  find 
the  sun  shining,  and  the  surface  of  the  ocean  still  undulating 
but  glassy  calm.  The  only  signs  left  of  the  tempest  were  the 
swallow-like  petrels  skimming  to  and  fro  in  our  wake,  picking 
up  the  scraps  of  food  and  the  plate  washings  which  the  cook’s 
mate  had  thrown  overboard  ; smallest  and  beautifuilest  of  all 
the  gull  tribe,  called  petrel  by  our  ancestors,  who  went  to 
their  Bibles  more  often  than  we  do  for  their  images,  in  mem- 


22  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

ory  of  St.  Peter,  because  they  seem  for  a moment  to  stand 
upon  the  water  when  they  stoop  upon  any  floating  object.1 
In  the  afternoon  we  passed  the  Azores,  rising  blue  and  fairy- 
like out  of  the  ocean  ; unconscious  they  of  the  bloody  battles 
which  once  went  on  under  their  shadows.  There  it  was  that 
Grenville,  in  the  ‘ Revenge,’  fought  through  a long  summer 
day  alone  against  a host  of  enemies,  and  died  there  and  won 
immortal  honour.  The  Azores  themselves  are  Grenville’s 
monument,  and  in  the  memory  of  Englishmen  are  associated 
for  ever  with  his  glorious  story.  Behind  these  islands,  too, 
lay  Grenville’s  comrades,  the  English  privateers,  year  after 
year  waiting  for  Philip’s  plate  fleet.  Behind  these  islands 
lay  French  squadrons  waiting  for  the  English  sugar  ships. 
They  are  calm  and  silent  now,  and  are  never  likely  to  echo 
any  more  to  battle  thunder.  Men  come  and  go  and  play  out 
their  little  dramas,  epic  or  tragic,  and  it  matters  nothing  to 
nature.  Their  wild  pranks  leave  no  scars,  and  the  decks  are 
swept  clean  for  the  next  comers. 


1 This  is  the  explanation  of  the  name  which  is  given  by  Dampier. 


CHAPTER  HI. 


The  tropics — Passengers  on  hoard — Account  of  the  Darien  Canal — Plant- 
ers’ complaints — West  Indian  history — The  Spanish  conquest— 
Drake  and  Hawkins — The  buccaneers — The  pirates — French  and 
English— Rodney — Battle  of  April  12 — Peace  with  honour — Doers 
and  talkers. 

Another  two  days  and  we  were  in  the  tropics.  The  north- 
east trade  blew  behind  us,  and  our  own  speed  being  taken  off 
from  the  speed  of  the  wind  there  was  scarcely  air  enough  to 
fill  our  sails.  The  waves  went  down  and  the  ports  were 
opened,  and  we  had  passed  suddenly  from  winter  into  per- 
petual summer,  as  Jean  Paul  says  it  will  be  with  us  in  death. 
Sleep  came  back  soft  and  sweet,  and  the  water  was  warm  in 
our  morning  bath,  and  the  worries  and  annoyances  of  life 
vanished  in  these  sweet  surroundings  like  nightmares  when 
we  wake.  How  well  the  Greeks  understood  the  spiritual 
beauty  of  the  sea  ! QdXacrcra  k\v$£l  ndvra  TavOj)<l)Tr<j)v  Kaxd,  says 
Euripides.  ‘The  sea  washes  off  all  the  woes  of  men.’  The 
passengers  lay  about  the  decks  in  their  chairs  reading  story 
books.  The  young  ones  played  Bull.  The  officers  flii’ted 
mildly  with  the  pretty  young  ladies.  For  a brief  interval 
care  and  anxiety  had  spread  their  wings  and  flown  away,  and 
existence  itself  became  delightful. 

There  was  a young  scientific  man  on  board  who  interested 
me  much.  He  had  been  sent  out  from  Kew  to  take  charge 
of  the  Botanical  Gardens  in  Jamaica — was  quiet,  modest,  and 
unaffected,  understood  his  own  subjects  well,  and  could  make 
others  understand  them  ; with  him  I had  much  agreeable 


24  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

conversation.  And  there  was  another  singular  person  who 
attracted  me  even  more.  I took  him  at  first  for  an  American. 
He  was  a Dane  I found,  an  engineer  by  profession,  and  was 
on  his  way  to  some  South  American  republic.  He  was  a long- 
lean  man  with  grey  eyes,  red  hair,  and  a laugh  as  if  he  so  en- 
joyed the  thing  that  amused  him  that  he  wished  to  keep  it 
all  to  himself,  laughing  inwardly  till  he  choked  and  shook 
with  it.  His  chief  amusement  seemed  to  have  lain  in  watch- 
ing the  performances  of  Liberal  politicians  in  various  parts 
of  the  world.  He  told  me  of  an  opposition  leader  in  some 
parliament  whom  his  rival  in  office  had  disposed  of  by  shut- 
ting him  up  in  the  caboose.  ‘ In  the  caboose,’  he  repeated, 
screaming  with  enjoyment  at  the  thought  of  it,  and  evidently 
wishing  that  all  the  parliamentary  orators  on  the  globe  were 
in  the  same  place.  In  his  wanderings  he  had  been  lately  at 
the  Darien  Canal,  and  gave  me  a wonderful  account  of  the 
condition  of  things  there.  The  original  estimate  of  the  prob- 
able cost  had  been  twenty-six  millions  of  our  (English) 
money.  Most  of  these  millions  had  been  spent  already,  and 
only  a fifth  of  the  whole  had  as  yet  been  executed.  The  en- 
tire cost  would  not  be  less,  under  the  existing  management, 
than  one  hundred  and  twenty  millions,  and  he  evidently 
doubted  whether  the  canal  would  ever  be  completed  at  all, 
though  professionally  he  would  not  confess  to  such  an  opin- 
ion. The  waste  and  plunder  had  been  incalculable.  The 
works  and  the  gold  that  were  set  moving  by  them  made  a 
feast  for  unclean  harpies  of  both  sexes  from  every  nation  in 
the  four  continents.  I liked  everything  about  Mr. ex- 

cept his  ears,  the  flaps  of  which  stood  out  at  right  angles. 
Tom  Cringle’s  Obed  may  have  been  something  like  him. 

There  was  a small  black  boy  among  us,  evidently  of  pure 
blood,  for  his  hair  was  wool  and  his  colour  black  as  ink. 
His  parents  must  have  been  well-to-do,  for  the  boy  had  been 
in  Europe  to  be  educated.  The  officers  on  board  and  some 


Passengers. 


25 


of  the  ladies  played  with  him  as  they  would  play  with  a 
monkey.  He  had  little  more  sense  than  a monkey,  perhaps 
less,  and  the  gestures  of  him  grinning  behind  gratings  and 
pushing  out  his  long  thin  arms  between  the  bars  were  curi- 
ously suggestive  of  the  original  from  whom  we  are  told  now 
that  all  of  us  came.  The  worst  of  it  was  that,  being  lifted 
above  his  own  people,  he  had  been  taught  to  despise  them. 
He  was  spoilt  as  a black  and  could  not  be  made  into  a white, 
and  this  I found  afterwards  was  the  invariable  and  dangerous 
consequence  whenever  a superior  negro  contrived  to  raise 
himself.  He  might  do  well  enough  himself,  but  his  family 
feel  their  blood  as  a degradation.  His  children  will  not 
marry  among  their  own  people,  and  not  only  will  no  white 
girl  marry  a negro,  but  hardly  any  dowry  can  be  large  bnough 
to  tempt  a West  Indian  white  to  make  a wife  of  a black  lady. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  sinister  features  in  the  present  state 
of  social  life  there. 

Small  personalities  cropped  up  now  and  then.  We  had 
representatives  of  all  professions  among  us  except  the  Church 
of  England  clergy.  Of  them  we  had  not  one.  The  captain, 
as  usual,  read  us  the  service  on  Sundays  on  a cushion  for 
a desk,  with  the  union  jack  spread  over  it.  On  board  ship 
the  captain,  like  a sovereign,  is  supreme,  and  in  spiritual 
matters  as  in  secular.  Drake  was  the  first  commander  who 
carried  the  theory  into  practice  when  he  excommunicated  his 
chaplain.  It  is  the  law  now,  and  the  tradition  has  gone  on 
unbroken.  In  default  of  clergy  we  had  a missionary,  who 
for  the  most  part  kept  his  lips  closed.  He  did  open  them 
once,  and  at  my  expense.  Apropos  of  nothing  he  said  to 
me,  ‘ I wonder,  sir,  whether  you  ever  read  the  remarks  upon 
you  in  the  newspapers.  If  all  the  attacks  upon  your  writings 
which  I have  seen  were  collected  together  they  would  make 
an  interesting  volume.’  This  was  all.  He  had  delivered  his 
soul  and  relapsed  into  silence. 


26  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

From  a Puerto  Bico  merchant  I learnt  that,  if  the  English 
colonies  were  in  a bad  way,  the  Spanish  colonies  were  in  a 
worse.  His  own  island,  he  said,  was  a nest  of  squalor, 
misery,  vice,  and  disease.  Blacks  and  whites  were  equally 
immoral ; and  so  far  as  habits  went,  the  whites  were  the 
filthier  of  the  two.  The  complaints  of  the  English  "West  Ind- 
ians were  less  sweeping,  and,  as  to  immorality  between 
whites  and  blacks,  neither  from  my  companions  in  the 
‘ Moselle  ’ nor  anywhere  afterward  did  I hear  or  see  a sign 
of  it.  The  profligacy  of  planter  life  passed  away  with 
slavery,  and  the  changed  condition  of  the  two  races  makes 
impossible  any  return  to  the  old  habits.  But  they  had 
wrongs  of  their  own,  and  were  eloquent  in  their  exposition 
of  them.  We  had  taken  the  islands  from  France  and  Spain 
at  an  enormous  expense,  and  we  were  throwing  them  aside 
like  a worn-out  child’s  toy.  We  did  nothing  for  them.  We 
allowed  them  no  advantage  as  British  subjects,  and  when 
they  tried  to  do  something  for  themselves,  we  interposed 
with  an  Imperial  veto.  The  United  States,  seeing  the  West 
Indian  trade  gravitating  towards  New  York,  had  offered  them 
a commercial  treaty,  being  willing  to  admit  their  sugar  duty 
free,  in  consideration  of  the  islands  admitting  in  return  their 
salt  fish  and  flour  and  notions.  A treaty  had  been  actually 
agreed  to  between  the  United  States  and  the  Spanish  islands. 
A similar  treaty  had  been  freely  offered  to  them,  which 
might  have  saved  them  from  ruin,  and  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment had  disallowed  it.  How,  under  such  treatment,  could 
we  expect  them  to  be  loyal  to  the  British  connection? 

It  was  a relief  to  turn  back  from  these  lamentations  to  the 
brilliant  period  of  past  West  Indian  history.  With  the 
planters  of  the  present  it  was  all  sugar — sugar  and  the  lazy 
blacks  who  were  England’s  darlings  and  would  not  work  for 
them.  The  handbooks  were  equally  barren.  In  them  I 
found  nothing  but  modern  statistics  pointing  to  dreary  con- 


West  Indian  History. 


27 


elusions,  and  in  the  place  of  any  human  interest  long  stories 
of  constitutions,  suffrages,  representative  assemblies,  powers 
of  elected  members,  and  powers  reserved  to  the  Crown. 
Such  things,  important  as  they  might  be,  did  not  touch  my 
imagination.  And  to  an  Englishman,  proud  of  his  country, 
the  West  Indies  had  a far  higher  interest.  Strange  scenes 
streamed  across  my  memory,  and  a shadowy  procession  of 
great  figures  who  have  printed  their  names  in  history. 
Columbus  and  Cortez,  Vasco  Nunez,  and  Las  Casas  ; the 
millions  of  innocent  Indians  who,  according  to  Las  Casas, 
were  destroyed  out  of  the  islands,  the  Spanish  grinding  them 
to  death  in  their  gold  mines  ; the  black  swarms  who  were 
poured  in  to  take  their  place,  and  the  frightful  story/of  the 
slave  trade.  Behind  it  all  was  the  European  drama  of  the 
sixteenth  century — Charles  V.  and  Philip  fighting  against  the 
genius  of  the  new  era,  and  feeding  their  armies  with  the  in- 
gots of  the  new  world.  The  convulsion  spread  across  the 
Atlantic.  The  English  Protestants  and  the  French  Hugue- 
nots took  to  sea  like  water  dogs,  and  challenged  their  ene- 
mies in  their  own  special  domain.  To  the  popes  and.  the 
Spaniards  the  new  world  was  the  property  of  the  Church  and 
of  those  who  had  discovered  it.  A papal  bull  bestowed  on 
Spain  all  the  countries  which  lay  within  the  tropics  west  of 
the  Atlantic — a form  of  Monroe  doctrine,  not  unreasonable 
as  long  as  there  was  force  to  maintain  it,  but  the  force  was 
indispensable,  and  the  Protestant  adventurers  tried  the  ques- 
tion with  them  at  the  cannon’s  mouth.  They  were  of  the  re- 
formed faith  all  of  them,  these  sea  rovers  of  the  early  days, 
and,  like  their  enemies,  they  were  of  a very  mixed  complex- 
ion. The  Spaniards,  gorged  with  plunder  and  wading  in 
blood,  were  at  the  same  time,  and  in  their  own  eyes,  crusad- 
ing soldiers  of  the  faith,  missionaries  of  the  Holy  Church, 
and  defenders  of  the  doctrines  which  were  impiously  assailed 
in  Europe.  The  privateers  from  Plymouth  and  Rochelle 


28  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

paid  also  for  the  cost  of  tlieir  expeditions  with  the  pillage  of 
ships  and  towns  and  the  profits  of  the  slave  trade  ; and  they 
too  were  the  unlicensed  champions  of  spiritual  freedom  in 
their  own  estimate  of  themselves.  The  gold  which  was 
meant  for  Alva’s  troops  in  Flanders  found  its  way  into  the 
treasure  houses  of  the  London  companies.  The  logs  of  the 
voyages  of  the  Elizabethan  navigators  represent  them  faith- 
fully as  they  were,  freebooters  of  the  ocean  in  one  aspect  of 
them  ; in  another,  the  sea  warriors  of  the  Reformation — un- 
commissioned, unrecognised,  fighting  on  then-  own  respon- 
sibility, liable  to  be  disowned  when  they  failed,  while  the 
Queen  herself  would  privately  be  a shareholder  in  the  ad- 
venture. It  was  a wild  anarchic  scene,  fit  cradle  of  the  spirit- 
ual freedom  of  a new  age,  when  the  nations  of  the  earth  were 
breaking  the  chains  in  which  king  and  pries  t had  bound  them. 

To  the  Spaniards,  Drake  and  his  comrades  were  corsarios, 
robbers,  enemies  of  the  human  race,  to  be  treated  to  a short 
shrift  whenever  found  and  caught.  British  seamen  who  fell 
into  their  hands  were  carried  before  the  Inquisition  at  Lima 
or  Carthagena  and  burnt  at  the  stake  as  heretics.  Four  of 
Drake’s  crew  were  unfortunately  taken  once  at  Vera  Cruz. 
Drake  sent  a message  to  the  governor-general  that  if  a hair 
of  their  heads  was  singed  he  would  hang  ten  Spaniards  for 
each  one  of  them.  (This  curious  note  is  at  Simancas,  where 
I saw  it.)  So  great  an  object  of  terror  at  Madrid  was  El 
Draque  that  he  was  looked  on  as  an  incarnation  of  the  old 
serpent,  and  when  he  failed  in  his  last  enterprise  and  news 
came  that  he  was  dead,  Lope  de  Vega  sang  a hymn  of  triumph 
in  an  epic  poem  which  he  called  ‘ The  Dragontea.’ 

When  Elizabeth  died  and  peace  was  made  with  Spain,  the 
adventurers  lost  something  of  the  indirect  countenance  wfiiich 
had  so  far  been  extended  to  them  ; the  execution  of  Kaleigh 
being  one  among  other  marks  of  the  change  of  mind.  But 
they  continued  under  other  names,  and  no  active  effort  was 


West  Indian  History. 


29 


made  to  suppress  them.  The  Spanish  Government  did  in 
1627  agree  to  leave  England  in  possession  of  Barbadoes,  but 
the  pretensions  to  an  exclusive  right  to  trade  continued  to  be 
maintained,  and  the  English  and  French  refused  to  recognise 
it.  The  French  privateers  seized  Tortuga,  an  island  off  St. 
Domingo,  and  they  and  their  English  friends  swarmed  in  the 
Caribbean  Sea  as  buccaneers  or  flibustiers.  They  exchanged 
names,  perhaps  as  a symbol  of  their  alliance.  ‘ Flibustier  ’ 
was  English  and  a corruption  of  freebooter.  ‘Buccaneer’ 
came  from  the  boucan,  or  dried  beef,  of  the  wild  cattle  which 
the  French  hunters  shot  in  Espaiiola,  and  which  formed  the 
chief  of  their  sea  stores.  Boucan  became  a French  verb, 
and,  according  to  Labat,  was  itself  the  Carib  name  for  the 
cashew  nut. 

War  breaking  out  again  in  Cromwell’s  time,  Penn  and  Ven- 
ables took  Jamaica.  The  flibustiers  from  the  Tortugas  drove 
the  Spaniards  out  of  Hayti,  which  was  annexed  to  the  French 
crown.  The  comradeship  in  religious  enthusiasm  which  had 
originally  drawn  the  two  nations  together  cooled  by  degrees, 
as  French  Catholics  as  well  as  Protestants  took  to  the  trade. 
Port  Royal  became  the  headquarters  of  the  English  bucca- 
neers— the  last  and  greatest  of  them  being  Henry  Morgan, 
who  took  and  plundered  Panama,  was  knighted  for  his  ser- 
vices, and  was  afterwards  made  governor  of  Jamaica.  From 
the  time  when  the  Spaniards  threw  open  their  trade,  and 
English  seamen  ceased  to  be  delivered  over  to  the  Inquisition, 
the  English  buccaneers  ceased  to  be  respectable  characters 
and  gradually  drifted  into  the  pirates  of  later  history,  when 
under  their  new  conditions  they  produced  their  more  ques- 
tionable heroes,  the  Kidds  and  Blackbeards.  The  French 
flibustiers  continued  long  after — far  into  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury— some  of  them  with  commissions  as  privateers,  others 
as  forbans  or  unlicensed  rovers,  but  still  connived  at  in  Mar- 
tinique. 


30  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

Adventurers,  buccaneers,  pirates  pass  across  the  stage — 
the  curtain  falls  on  them,  and  rises  on  a more  glorious  scene. 
Jamaica  had  become  the  depot  of  the  trade  of  England  with 
the  western  world,  and  golden  streams  had  poured  into  Port 
Royal.  Barbadoes  was  unoccupied  when  England  took  pos- 
session of  it,  and  never  passed  out  of  our  hands  ; but  the  An- 
tilles— the  Anterior  Isles — which  stand  like  a string  of  jewels 
round  the  neck  of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  had  been  most  of  them 
colonised  and  occupied  by  the  French,  and  during  the  wars 
of  the  last  century  were  the  objects  of  a never  ceasing  comlict 
between  their  fleets  and  oui’S.  The  French  had  planted  their 
language  there,  they  had  planted  their  religion  there,  and 
the  blacks  of  these  islands  generally  still  speak  the  French 
patois  and  call  themselves  Catholics  ; but  it  was  deemed  es- 
sential to  our  interests  that  the  Antilles  should  be  not  French 
but  English,  and  Antigua,  Martinique,  St.  Lucia,  St.  Vincent, 
and  Grenada  were  taken  and  retaken  and  taken  again  in  a 
struggle  perpetually  renewed.  When  the  American  colonies 
revolted,  the  West  Indies  became  involved  in  the  revolu- 
tionary hurricane.  France,  Spain,  and  Holland — our  three 
ocean  rivals — combined  in  a supreme  effort  to  tear  from  us 
our  Imperial  power.  The  opportunity  was  seized  by  Irish 
patriots  to  clamour  for  Irish  nationality,  and  by  the  English 
Radicals  to  demand  liberty  and  the  rights  of  man.  It  was 
the  most  critical  moment  in  later  English  history.  If  we  had 
yielded  to  peace  on  the  terms  which  our  enemies  offered,  and 
the  English  Liberals  wished  us  to  accept,  the  star  of  Great 
Britain  would  have  set  for  ever. 

The  West  Indies  were  then  under  the  charge  of  Rodney, 
whose  brilliant  successes  had  already  made  his  name  famous. 
He  had  done  his  country  more  than  yeoman’s  service.  He 
had  torn  the  Leeward  Islands  from  the  French.  He  had 
punished  the  Hollanders  for  joining  the  coalition  by  taking 
the  island  of  St.  Eustachius  and  three  millions’  worth  of 


31 


Rodney. 

stores  and  money.  The  patriot  party  at  home  led  by  Fox 
and  Burke  were  ill  pleased  with  these  victories,  for  they 
wished  us  to  be  driven  into  surrender.  Burke  denounced 
Rodney  as  he  denounced  Warren  Hastings,  and  Rodney  was 
called  home  to  answer  for  himself.  In  his  absence  Demerara, 
the  Leeward  Islands,  St.  Eustachius  itself,  were  captured  or 
recovered  by  the  enemy.  The  French  fleet,  now  supreme  in 
the  western  waters,  blockaded  Lord  Cornwallis  at  York  Town 
and  forced  him  to  capitulate.  The  Spaniards  had  fitted  out 
a fleet  at  Havannah,  and  the  Count  de  Grasse,  the  French 
admiral,  fresh  from  the  victorious  thunder  of  the  American 
cannon,  hastened  back  to  refurnish  himself  at  Martinique, 
intending  to  join  the  Spaniards,  tear  Jamaica  from  us,  and 
drive  us  finally  and  completely  out  of  the  West  Indies.  One 
chance  remained.  Rodney  was  ordered  back  to  his  station, 
and  he  went  at  his  best  speed,  taking  all  the  ships  with  him 
which  could  then  be  spared.  It  was  mid-winter.  He  forced 
his  way  to  Bai-badoes  in  five  weeks  spite  of  equinoctial 
storms.  The  Whig  orators  were  indignant.  They  insisted 
that  we  were  beaten  ; there  had  been  bloodshed  enough,  and 
we  must  sit  down  in  our  humiliation.  The  Government 
yielded,  and  a peremptory  order  followed  on  Rodney’s  track, 
‘ Strike  your  flag  and  come  home.’  Had  that  fatal  command 
reached  him  Gibraltar  would  have  fallen  and  Hastings’s  In- 
dian Empire  would  have  melted  into  air.  But  Rodney  knew 
that  his  time  was  short,  and  he  had  been  prompt  to  use  it. 
Before  the  order  came,  the  severest  naval  battle  in  English 
annals  had  been  fought  and  won.  De  Grasse  was  a prisoner, 
and  the  French  fleet  was  scattered  into  wreck  and  ruin. 

De  Grasse  had  refitted  in  the  Martinique  dockyards.  He 
himself  and  every  officer  in  the  fleet  was  confident  that  Eng- 
land was  at  last  done  for,  and  that  nothing  was  left  but  to 
gather  the  fruits  of  the  victory  which  was  theirs  already. 
Not  Xerxes,  when  he  broke  through  Thermopylae  and 


32 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

watched  from  the  shore  his  thousand  galleys  streaming  down 
to  the  Gulf  of  Salamis,  was  more  assured  that  his  prize  was 
in  his  hands  than  De  Grasse  on  the  deck  of  the  ‘ Yille  de 
Paris,’  the  finest  ship  then  floating  on  the  seas,  when  he  heard 
that  Rodney  was  at  St.  Lucia  and  intended  to  engage  him. 
tie  did  not  even  believe  that  the  English  after  so  many  re- 
verses would  venture  to  meddle  with  a fleet  superior  in  force 
and  inspirited  with  victory.  All  the  Antilles  except  St.  Lucia 
were  his  own.  Tobago,  Grenada,  the  Grenadines,  St.  Vin- 
cent, Martinique,  Dominica,  Guadaloupe,  Montserrat,  Nevis, 
Antigua,  and  St.  Kitts,  he  held  them  all  in  proud  possession, 
a string  of  gems,  each  island  large  as  or  larger  than  the  Isle 
of  Man,  rising  up  with  high  volcanic  peaks  clothed  from  base 
to  crest  with  forest,  carved  into  deep  ravines,  and  fringed 
with  luxuriant  plains.  In  St.  Lucia  alone,  lying  between  St. 
Vincent  and  Dominica,  the  English  flag  still  flew,  and  Rod- 
ney lay  there  in  the  harbour  at  Castries.  On  April  8,  1782, 
the  signal  came  from  the  north  end  of  the  island  that  the 
French  fleet  had  sailed.  Martinique  is  in  sight  of  St.  Lucia, 
and  the  rock  is  still  shown  from  which  Rodney  had  watched 
day  by  day  for  signs  that  they  were  moving.  They  were  out 
at  last,  and  he  instantly  weighed  and  followed.  The  air  was 
light,  and  De  Grasse  was  under  the  high  lands  of  Dominica 
before  Rodney  came  up  with  him.  Both  fleets  were  be- 
calmed, and  the  English  were  scattered  and  divided  by  a 
current  which  runs  between  the  islands.  A breeze  at  last 
blew  oT  the  land.  The  French  were  the  first  to  feel  it,  and 
were  able  to  attack  at  advantage  the  leading  English  division. 
Had  De  Grasse  ‘ come  down  as  he  ought,’  Rodney  thought 
that  the  consequences  might  have  been  serious.  In  careless 
imagination  of  superiority  they  let  the  chance  go  by.  They 
kept  at  a distance,  firing  long  shots,  which  as  it  was  did  con- 
siderable damage.  The  two  following  days  the  fleets  ma- 
noeuvred in  sight  of  each  other.  On  the  night  of  the  elev- 


33 


Battle  of  the  Twelfth  of  April. 

enth  Rodney  made  signal  for  the  whole  fleet  to  go  south  un- 
der press  of  sail.  The  French  thought  he  was  flying.  He 
tacked  at  two  in  the  morning,  and  at  daybreak  found  himself 
where  he  wished  to  be,  with  the  French  fleet  on  his  lee  quar- 
ter. The  French  looking  for  nothing  but  again  a distant 
cannonade,  continued  leisurely  along  under  the  north  high- 
lands of  Dominica  towards  the  channel  which  separates  that 
island  from  Guadaloupe.  In  number  of  ships  the  fleets  were 
equal  ; in  size  and  complement  of  crew  the  French  were  im- 
mensely superior  ; and  besides  the  ordinary  ships’  com- 
panies they  had  twenty  thousand  soldiers  on  board  who  were 
to  be  used  in  the  conquest  of  Jamaica.  Knowing  well  that  a 
defeat  at  that  moment  would  be  to  England  irreparable  ruin, 
they  did  not  dream  that  Rodney  would  be  allowed,  even  if  he 
wished  it,  to  risk  a close  and  decisive  engagement.  The 
English  admiral  was  aware  also  that  his  country’s  fate  was 
in  his  hands.  It  was  one  of  those  supreme  moments  which 
great  men  dare  to  use  and  small  men  tremble  at.  He  had 
the  advantage  of  the  wind,  and  could  force  a battle  or  de- 
cline it,  as  he  pleased.  With  clear  daylight  the  signal  to 
engage  was  flying  from  the  masthead  of  the  ‘ Formidable,’ 
Rodney’s  ship.  At  seven  in  the  morning,  April  12,  1782,  the 
whole  fleet  bore  down  obliquely  on  the  French  line,  cutting 
it  directly  in  two.  Rodney  led  in  person.  Having  passed 
through  and  broken  up  their  order  he  tacked  again,  still 
keeping  the  wind.  The  French,  thrown  into  confusion,  were 
unable  to  reform,  and  the  battle  resolved  itself  into  a number 
of  separate  engagements  in  which  the  English  had  the  choice 
of  position. 

Rodney  in  passing  through  the  enemy’s  lines  the  first  time 
had  exchanged  broadsides  with  the  1 Glorieux,’  a seventy- 
four,  at  close  range.  He  had  shot  away  her  masts  and  bow- 
sprit, and  left  her  a bare  hull  ; her  flag,  however,  still  flying, 
being  nailed  to  a splintered  spar.  So  he  left  her  unable  at 
3 


34 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

least  to  stir  ; ancl  after  be  bad  gone  about  came  bimself  yard- 
arm to  yardarm  with  tlie  superb  ‘ Ville  de  Paris,’  tbe  pride 
of  France,  tbe  largest  ship  in  tbe  then  world,  where  De  Grasse 
commanded  in  person.  All  day  long  tbe  cannon  roared. 
Rodney  bad  on  board  a favourite  bantam  cock,  wbicb  stood 
perched  upon  tbe  poop  of  tbe  ‘ Formidable  ’ through  tbe 
whole  action,  its  shrill  voice  beard  crowing  through  tbe  thun- 
der of  tbe  broadsides.  One  by  one  tbe  French  ships  struck 
their  flags  or  fought  on  till  they  foundered  and  went  down. 
Tbe  caimage  on  board  them  was  terrible,  crowded  as  they 
were  with  tbe  troops  for  Jamaica.  Fourteen  thousand  were 
reckoned  to  have  been  killed,  besides  tbe  prisoners.  Tbe 
* Ville  de  Paris  ’ surrendered  last,  fighting  desperately  after 
hope  was  gone  till  her  masts  were  so  shattered  that  they 
could  not  bear  a sail,  and  her  decks  above  and  below  were 
littered  over  with  mangled  limbs.  De  Grasse  gave  up  bis 
sword  to  Rodney  on  tbe  ‘ Formidable’s  ’ quarter-deck.  Tbe 
gallant  ‘Glorieux,’  unable  to  fly,  and  seeing  tbe  battle  lost, 
hauled  down  her  flag,  but  not  till  tbe  undisabled  remnants 
of  her  crew  were  too  few  to  throw  tbe  dead  into  tbe  sea. 
Other  ships  took  fire  and  blew  up.  Half  tbe  French  fleet 
were  either  taken  or  sunk  ; the  rest  crawled  away  for  tbe 
time,  most  of  them  to  be  picked  up  afterwards  like  crippled 
birds. 

So  on  that  memorable  day  was  tbe  English  Empire  saved. 
Peace  followed,  but  it  was  ‘ peace  wdth  honour.’  The  Amer- 
ican colonies  wei’e  lost ; but  England  kept  her  West  Indies  ; 
her  flag  still  floated  over  Gibraltar ; the  hostile  strength  of 
Europe  all  combined  had  failed  to  twist  Britannia’s  ocean 
sceptre  from  her : she  sat  down  maimed  and  bleeding,  but 
the  wreath  had  not  been  torn  from  her  brow,  she  was  still 
sovereign  of  the  seas. 

The  bow  of  Ulysses  was  strung  in  those  days.  The  order 
of  recall  arrived  when  the  work  was  done.  It  was  proudly 


35 


Those  who  Make  Empires. 

obeyed  ; and  even  the  great  Burke  admitted  that  no  honour 
could  be  bestowed  upon  Rodney  which  he  had  not  deserved 
at  his  country’s  hands.  If  the  British  Empire  is  still  to  have 
a prolonged  career  before  it,  the  men  who  make  empires  are 
the  men  who  can  hold  them  together.  Oratorical  reformers 
can  overthrow  what  deserves  to  be  overthrown.  Institutions, 
even  the  best  of  them,  wear  out,  and  must  give  place  to 
others,  and  the  fine  political  speakers  are  the  instruments  of 
their  overthrow.  But  the  fine  speakers  produce-nothing  of 
their  own,  and  as  constructive  statesmen  their  paths  are 
strewed  with  failures.  The  worthies  of  England  are  the  men 
who  cleared  and  tilled  her  fields,  formed  her  laws,  built  her 
colleges  and  cathedrals,  founded  her  colonies,  fought  her 
battles,  covered  the  ocean  with  commerce,  and  spread  our 
race  over  the  planet  to  leave  a mark  upon  it  which  time  will 
not  efface.  These  men  are  seen  in  their  work,  and  are  not 
heard  of  in  Parliament.  When  the  account  is  wound  up, 
where  by  the  side  of  them  will  stand  our  famous  orators? 
What  will  any  one  of  them  have  left  behind  him  save  the 
wreck  of  institutions  which  had  done  their  work  and  had 
ceased  to  serve  a useful  purpose  ? That  was  their  business 
in  this  world,  and  they  did  it  and  do  it  ; but  it  is  no  very 
glorious  work,  not  a work  over  which  it  is  possible  to  feel  any 
‘ fine  enthusiasm.’  To  chop  down  a tree  is  easier  than  to 
make  it  grow.  When  the  business  of  destruction  is  once 
completed,  they  and  their  fame  and  glory  will  disappear 
together.  Our  true  great  ones  will  again  be  visible,  and 
thenceforward  will  be  visible  alone. 

Is  there  a single  instance  in  our  own  or  any  other  history 
of  a great  political  speaker  who  has  added  anything  to 
human  knowledge  or  to  human  worth  ? Lord  Chatham  may 
stand  as  a lonely  exception.  But  except  Chatham  who  is 
there?  Not  one  that  I know  of.  Oratory  is  the  spend- 
thrift sister  of  the  arts,  which  decks  itself  like  a strumpet 


33 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

with  the  tags  and  ornaments  which  it  steals  from  real  su- 
periority. The  object  of  it  is  not  truth,  but  anything  which 
it  can  make  appear  truth  ; anything  which  it  can  persuade 
people  to  believe  by  calling  in  their  passions  to  obscure  their 
intelligence. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


First  siglit  of  Barbadoes — Origin  of  the  name — Pere  Eabat — Bridgetown 
two  hundred  years  ago — Slavery  and  Christianity — Economic  crisis — 
Sugar  bounties — Aspect  of  the  streets — Government  House  and  its  oc- 
cupants—Duties  of  a governor  of  Barbadoes. 

England  was  covered  with  snow  when  we  left  it  on  Decem- 
ber 30.  At  sunrise  on  January  12  we  were  anchored  in  the 
roadstead  at  Bridgetown,  and  the  island  of  Barbadoes  lay  be- 
fore us  shining  in  the  haze  of  a hot  summer  morning.  It  is 
about  the  size  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  cultivated  so  far  as  eye 
could  see  with  the  completeness  of  a garden  ; no  mountains 
in  it,  scarcely  even  high  hills,  but  a surface  pleasantly  undu- 
lating, the  prevailing  colour  a vivid  green  from  the  cane  fields ; 
houses  in  town  and  country  white  from  the  coral  rock  of 
which  they  are  built,  but  the  glare  from  them  relieved  by 
heavy  clumps  of  trees.  What  the  trees  were  I had  yet  to  dis- 
cover. You  could  see  at  a glance  that  the  island  was  as 
thickly  peopled  as  an  anthill.  Not  an  inch  of  soil  seemed  to 
be  allowed  to  run  to  waste.  Two  hundred  thousand  is,  I be- 
lieve, the  present  number  of  Barbadians,  of  whom  nine-tenths 
are  blacks.  They  refuse  to  emigrate.  They  cling  to  their 
home  with  innocent  vanity  as  though  it  was  the  finest  country 
in  the  world,  and  multiply  at  a rate  so  rapid  that  no  one  likes 
to  think  about  it.  Labour  at  any  rate  is  abundant  and  cheap. 
In  Barbadoes  the  negro  is  willing  enough  to  work,  for  he  has 
no  other  means  of  living.  Little  land  is  here  allowed  him  to 
grow  his  yams  upon.  Almost  the  whole  of  it  is  still  held  by 
the  whites  in  large  estates,  cultivated  by  labourers  on  the  old 


38 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

system,  and,  it  is  to  be  admitted,  cultivated  most  admirably. 
If  tlie  West  Indies  are  going  to  ruin,  Barbadoes,  at  any  rate, 
is  being  ruined  with  a smiling  face.  The  roadstead  was 
crowded  with  shipping — large  barques,  steamers,  and  brigs, 
schooners  of  all  shapes  and  sorts.  The  training  squadron  had 
come  into  the  bay  for  a day  or  to  on  their  way  to  Trinidad, 
four  fine  ships,  conspicuous  by  their  white  ensigns,  the  square- 
ness of  yards,  and  generally  imposing  presence.  Boats  were 
flying  to  and  fro  under  sail  or  with  oars,  officials  coming  off 
in  white  calico  dress,  with  awnings  over  the  stern  sheets  and 
chattering  crews  of  negroes.  Notwithstanding  these  exotic 
symptoms,  it  was  all  thoroughly  English  ; we  were  under  the 
guns  of  our  own  men-of-war.  The  language  of  the  Anglo- 
Barbadians  was  pure  English,  the  voices  without  the  small- 
est transatlantic  intonation.  On  no  one  of  our  foreign  pos- 
sessions is  the  print  of  England’s  foot  more  strongly  impressed 
than  on  Barbadoes.  It  has  been  ours  for  two  centuries  and 
three  quarters,  and  was  organized  from  the  first  on  English 
traditional  lines,  with  its  constitution,  its  parishes  and  parish 
churches  and  churchwardens,  and  schools  and  parsons,  all  on 
the  old  model ; which  the  unprogressive  inhabitants  have 
been  wise  enough  to  leave  undisturbed. 

Little  is  hnown  of  the  island  before  we  took  possession  of 
it — so  little  that  the  origin  of  the  name  is  still  uncertain. 
Barbadoes,  if  not  a corruption  of  some  older  word,  is  Spanish 
or  Portuguese,  and  means  ‘ bearded.’  The  local  opinion  is 
that  it  refers  to  a banyan  or  fig  tree  which  is  common  there, 
and  which  sends  down  from  its  branches  long  hairs  or  fibres 
supposed  to  resemble  beards.  I disbelieve  in  this  derivation. 
Every  Spaniard  whom  I have  consulted  confirms  my  own  im- 
pression that  ‘barbados  ’ standing  alone  could  no  more  refer 
to  trees  than  ‘ barbati  ’ standing  alone  could  refer  to  trees  in 
Latin.  The  name  is  a century  older  than  the  English  occu- 
pation, for  I have  seen  it  in  a Spanish  chart  of  1525.  The 


39 


Past  History. 

question  is  of  some  interest,  since  it  perhaps  implies  that  at 
the  first  discovery  there  was  a ra<|5  of  bearded  Caribs  there. 
However  this  may  be,  Barbadoes,  after  we  became  masters  of 
it,  enjoyed  a period  of  unbroken  prosperity  for  two  hundred 
years.  Before  the  conquest  of  Jamaica,  it  was  the  principal 
mart  of  our  West  Indian  trade  ; and  even  after  that  conquest, 
when  all  Europe  drew  its  new  luxury  of  sugar  from  these 
islands,  the  wealth  and  splendour  of  the  English  residents  at 
Bridgetown  astonished  and  stirred  the  envy  of  every  passing 
visitor.  Absenteeism  as  yet  was  not.  The  owners  lived  on 
their  estates,  governed  the  island  as  magistrates  unpaid  for 
their  services,  and  equally  unpaid,  took  on  themselves  the  de- 
fences of  the  island.  Pfere  Labat,  a French  missionary,  paid 
a visit  to  Barbadoes  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. He  was  a clever,  sarcastic  kind  of  man,  with  fine  liter- 
ary skill,  and  describes  what  he  saw  with  a jealous  apprecia- 
tion which  he  intended  to  act  upon  his  own  countrymen. 
The  island,  according  to  him,  was  running  over  with  wealth, 
and  was  very  imperfectly  fortified.  The  jewellers’  and  silver- 
smiths’ shops  in  Bridgetown  were  brilliant  as  on  the  Paris 
boulevards.  The  port  was  full  of  ships,  the  wharves  and 
warehouses  crammed  with  merchandise  from  all  parts  of  the 
globe.  The  srieets  were  handsome,  and  thronged  with  men 
of  business,  who  were  piling  up  fortunes.  To  the  Father 
these  sumptuous  gentlemen  were  all  most  civil.  The  gov- 
ernor, an  English  milor,  asked  him  to  dinner,  and  talked 
such  excellent  French  that  Labat  forgave  him  his  nationality. 
The  governor,  he  said,  resided  in  a fine  palace.  He  had  a 
well-furnished  library,  was  dignified,  courteous,  intelligent, 
and  lived  in  state  like  a prince.  A review  was  held  for  the 
French  priest’s  special  entertainment,  of  the  Bridgetown  cav- 
alry. Five  hundred  gentlemen  turned  out  from  this  one  dis- 
trict admirably  mounted  and  armed.  Altogether  in  the  isl- 
and he  says  that  there  were  3,000  horse  and  2,000  foot,  every 


40 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

one  of  them  of  course  white  and  English.  The  officers 
struck  him  particularly.  He  met  one  who  had  been  five 
years  a prisoner  in  the  Bastille,  and  had  spent  his  time  there 
in  learning  mathematics.  The  planters  opened  their  houses 
to  him.  Dinners  then  as  now  were  the  received  form  of  Eng- 
lish hospitality.  They  lived  well,  Labat  says.  They  had  all 
the  luxuries  of  the  tropics,  and  they  had  imported  the  par- 
tridges which  they  were  so  fond  of  from  England.  They  had 
the  costliest  and  choicest  wines,  and  knew  how  to  enjoy  them. 
They  dined  at  two  o’clock,  and  their  dinner  lasted  four  hours. 
Their  mansions  were  superbly  furnished,  and  gold  and  silver 
plate,  he  observed  with  an  eye  to  business,  was  so  abundant 
that  the  plunder  of  it  would  pay  the  cost  of  an  expedition  for 
the  reduction  of  the  island. 

There  was  another  side  to  all  this  magnificence  which  also 
might  be  turned  to  account.  There  were  some  thousands  of 
wretched  Irish,  who  had  been  transplanted  thither  after  the 
last  rebellion,  and  were  bound  under  articles  to  labour. 
These  might  be  counted  on  to  rise  if  an  invading  force  ap- 
peared ; and  there  were  60,000  slaves,  who  would  rebel  also 
if  they  saw  hope  of  success.  They  were  ill  fed  and  hard 
driven.  On  the  least  symptom  of  insubordination  they  were 
killed  without  mercy ; sometimes  they  were  burnt  alive,  or 
were  hung  up  in  iron  cages  to  die.1  In  the  French  and 
Spanish  islands  care  was  taken  of  the  souls  of  the  poor  creat- 
ures. They  were  taught  their  catechism,  they  were  baptised, 

1 Labat  seems  to  say  that  they  were  hung  up  alive  in  these  cages,  and 
left  to  die  there.  He  says  elsewhere,  and  it  may  be  hoped  that  the  ex- 
planation is  the  truer  one,  that  the  recently  imported  negroes  often  de- 
stroyed themselves,  in  the  belief  that  when  dead  they  would  return  to 
their  own  country.  In  the  French  islands  as  well  as  the  English,  the 
bodies  of  suicides  were  exposed  in  these  cages,  from  which  they  could 
not  be  stolen,  to  convince  the  poor  people  of  their  mistake  by  their  own 
eyes.  He  says  that  the  contrivance  was  successful,  and  that  after  this 
the  slaves  did  not  destroy  themselves  any  more, 


Slavery  and  Christianity. 


41 


and  attended  mass  regularly.  The  Anglican  clergy,  he  said 
with  professional  malice,  neither  baptised  them  nor  taught 
them  anything,  but  regarded  them  as  mere  animals.  To  keep 
Christians  in  slavery  they  held  would  be  wrong  and  indefen- 
sible, and  they  therefore  met  the  difficulty  by  not  making 
their  slaves  into  Christians.  That  baptism  made  any  essen- 
tial difference,  however,  he  does  not  insist.  By  the  side  of 
Christianity,  in  the  Catholic  islands,  devil  worship  and  witch- 
craft went  on  among  the  same  persons.  No  instance  had  ever 
come  to  his  knowledge  of  a converted  black  who  returned  to 
his  country  who  did  not  throw  away  his  Christianity  just  as 
he  would  throw  away  his  clothes  ; and  as  to  cruelty  and  im- 
morality, he  admits  that  the  English  at  Barbadoes  were  no 
worse  than  his  own  people  at  Martinique. 

In  the  collapse  of  West  Indian  prosperity  which  followed 
on  emancipation,  Barbadoes  escaped  the  misfortunes  of  the 
other  islands.  The  black  population  being  so  dense,  and  the 
place  itself  being  so  small,  the  squatting  system  could  not  be 
tried ; there  was  plenty  of  labour  always,  and  the  planters 
being  relieved  of  the  charge  of  their  workmen  when  they 
were  sick  or  worn  out,  had  rather  gained  than  lost  by  the 
change.  Barbadoes,  however,  was  not  to  escape  for  ever, 
and  was  now  having  its  share  of  misfortunes.  It  is  danger- 
ous for  any  country  to  commit  its  fortunes  to  an  exclusive 
occupation.  Sugar  was  the  most  immediately  lucrative  of 
all  the  West  Indian  productions.  Barbadoes  is  exceptionally 
well  suited  to  sugar-growing.  It  has  no  mountains  and  no 
forests.  The  soil  is  clean  and  has  been  carefully  attended  to 
for  two  hundred  and  fifty  years.  It  had  been  owned  during 
the  present  century  by  gentlemen  who  for  the  most  part 
lived  in  England  on  the  profits  of  their  properties,  and  left 
them  to  be  managed  by  agents  and  attorneys.  The  method 
of  management  was  expensive.  Their  own  habits  were  ex- 
pensive. Their  incomes,  to  which  they  had  lived  up,  had 


42  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

been  cut  short  lately  by  a series  of  bad  seasons.  Money  had 
been  borrowed  at  high  interest  year  after  year  to  keep  the 
estates  and  their  owners  going.  On  the  top  of  this  came  the 
beetroot  competition  backed  up  by  a bounty,  and  the  Bar- 
badian sugar  interest,  I was  told,  had  gone  over  a pi’ecipice. 
The  unencumbered  resident  proprietors  could  barely  keep 
their  heads  above  water.  The  returns  on  three-quarters  of 
the  properties  on  the  island  no  longer  sufficed  to  pay  the  ex- 
penses of  cultivation  and  the  interest  of  the  loans  which  had 
been  raised  upon  them.  There  was  impending  a general 
bankruptcy  which  might  break  up  entirely  the  present  sys- 
tem and  leave  the  negroes  for  a time  without  the  wages 
which  were  the  sole  dependence. 

A very  dark  picture  had  thus  been  drawn  to  me  of  the 
prospects  of  the  poor  little  island  which  had  been  once  so 
brilliant.  Nothing  could  be  less  like  it  than  the  bright 
sunny  landscape  which  we  saw  from  the  deck  of  our  vessel. 
The  town,  the  shipping,  the  pretty  villas,  the  woods,  and  the 
wide  green  sea  of  waving  cane  had  no  suggestion  of  ruin 
about  them.  If  the  ruin  was  coming,  clearly  enough  it  had 
not  yet  come.  After  breakfast  we  went  on  shore  in  a boat 
with  a white  awning  over  it,  rowed  by  a crew  of  black  boat- 
men, large,  fleshy,  shining  on  the  skin  with  ample  feeding 
and  shining  in  the  face  with  innocent  happiness.  They 
rowed  well.  They  were  amusing.  There  was  a fixed  tariff, 
and  they  were  not  extortionate.  The  temperature  seemed 
to  rise  ten  degrees  when  we  landed.  The  roads  were  blind- 
ing white  from  the  coral  dust,  the  houses  were  white,  the 
sun  scorching.  The  streets  were  not  the  streets  described 
by  Labat  ; no  splendid  magazines  or  jewellers’  shops  like 
those  in  Paris  or  London  ; but  there  were  lighters  at  the 
quays  loading  or  unloading,  carts  dashing  along  with  mule 
teams  and  making  walking  dangerous  ; signs  in  plenty  of 
life  and  business  ; few  white  faces,  but  blacks  and  mulattoes 


The  Streets  of  Bridgetown. 


43 


swarming.  The  houses  were  substantial,  though  in  want  of 
paint.  The  public  buildings,  law  courts,  hall  of  assembly, 
&c.,  were  solid  and  handsome,  nowhere  out  of  repair,  though 
with  something  to  be  desired  in  point  of  smartness.  The 
market  square  would  have  been  well  enough  but  for  a statue 
of  Lord  Nelson  which  stands  there,  very  like,  but  small  and 
insignificant,  and  for  some  extraordinary  reason  they  have 
painted  it  a bright  pea-green. 

We  crept  along  in  the  shade  of  trees  and  warehouses  till 
we  reached  the  principal  street.  Here  my  friends  brought 
me  to  the  Icehouse,  a sort  of  club,  with  reading  rooms  and 
diningrooms,  and  sleeping  accommodation  for  members  from 
a distance  who  do  not  like  colonial  hotels.  Before  anything 
else  could  be  thought  of  I was  introduced  to  cocktail,  with 
which  I had  to  make  closer  acquaintance  afterwards,  cocktail 
being  the  established  corrective  of  West  Indian  languor, 
without  which  life  is  impossible.  It  is  a confound  of  rum, 
sugar,  lime  juice,  Angostura  bitters,  and  what  else  I know 
not,  frisked  into  effervescence  by  a stick,  highly  agreeable  to 
the  taste  and  effective  for  its  immediate  purpose.  Cocktail 
over,  and  walking  in  the  heat  being  a thing  not  to  be  thought 
of,  I sat  for  two  hours  in  a balcony  watching  the  people,  who 
were  thick  as  bees  in  swarming  time.  Nine-tenths  of  them 
were  pure  black  ; you  rarely  saw  a white  face,  but  still  less 
would  you  see  a discontented  one,  imperturbable  good  hu- 
mour and  self-satisfaction  being  written  on  the  features  of 
everyone.  The  women  struck  me  especially.  They  wei’e 
smartly  dressed  in  white  calico,  scrupulously  clean,  and 
tricked  out  with  ribands  and  feathers  ; but  their  figures  were 
so  good  and  they  carried  themselves  so  well  and  gracefully, 
that,  although  they  might  make  themselves  absurd,  they 
could  not  look  vulgar.  Like  the  Greek  and  Etruscan  women, 
they  are  trained  from  childhood  to  carry  heavy  weights  on 
their  heads.  They  are  thus  perfectly  upright,  and  plant 


44  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

their  feet  firmly  and  naturally  on  the  ground.  They  might 
serve  for  sculptors’  models,  and  are  well  aware  of  it.  There 
were  no  signs  of  poverty.  Old  and  young  seemed  well  fed. 
Some  had  brought  in  baskets  of  fruit,  bananas,  oranges,  pine 
apples  and  sticks  of  sugar  cane  ; others  had  yams  and  sweet 
potatoes  from  their  bits  of  garden  in  the  country.  The  men 
were  active  enough  driving  carts,  wheeling  barrows,  or  selling 
flying  fish,  which  are  caught  off  the  island  in  shoals  and  are 
cheaper  than  herrings  in  Yarmouth.  They  chattered  like 
a flock  of  jackdaws,  but  there  was  no  quarrelling ; not  a 
drunken  man  was  to  be  seen,  and  all  was  merriment  and 
good  humour.  My  poor  downtrodden  black  brothers  and 
sisters,  so  far  as  I could  judge  from  this  first  introduction, 
looked  to  me  a very  fortunate  class  of  fellow-creatures. 

Government  House,  where  we  went  to  luncheon,  is  a large, 
airy  building  shaded  by  heavy  trees  with  a garden  at  the 
back  of  it.  West  Indian  houses,  I found  afterwards,  are  all 
constructed  on  the  same  pattern,  the  object  being  to  keep 
the  sun  out  and  let  in  the  wind.  Long  verandahs  or  galleries 
run  round  them  protected  by  green  Venetian  blinds  which 
can  be  opened  or  closed  at  pleasure  ; the  rooms  within  with 
polished  floors,  little  or  no  carpet,  and  contrivances  of  all 
kinds  to  keep  the  air  in  continual  circulation.  In  the  sub- 
dued green  light,  human  figures  lose  their  solidity  and  look 
as  if  they  were  creatures  of  air  also. 

Sir  Charles  Lees  and  his  lady  were  all  that  was  polite  and 
hospitable.  They  invited  me  to  make  their  house  my  home 
during  my  stay,  and  more  charming  host  and  hostess  it 
would  have  been  impossible  to  find  or  wish  for.  There  was 
not  the  state  which  Labat  described,  but  there  was  the  per- 
fection of  courtesy,  a courtesy  which  must  have  belonged  to 
their  natures,  or  it  would  have  been  overstrained  long  since 
by  the  demands  made  upon  it.  Those  who  have  looked  on 
at  a skating  ring  will  have  observed  an  orange  or  some 


Duties  of  a Governor.  45 

such  object  in  the  centre  round  which  the  evolutions  are  de- 
scribed, the  ice  artist  sweeping  out  from  it  imlong  curves  to 
the  extreme  circumference,  curving  back  on  interior  arcs  till 
he  gains  the  orange  again,  and  then  off  once  more  on  a fresh 
departure.  Barbadoes  to  the  West  Indian  steam  navigation 
is  like  the  skater’s  orange.  All  mails,  all  passengers  from 
Europe,  arrive  at  Barbadoes  first.  There  the  subsidiary 
steamers  catch  them  up,  bear  them  north  or  south  to  the 
Windward  or  Leeward  Isles,  and  on  their  return  bring  them 
back  to  Carlisle  Bay.  Every  vessel  brings  some  person  or 
persons  to  whom  the  Governor  is  called  on  to  show  hospital- 
ity. He  must  give  dinners  to  the  officials  and  gentry  of  the 
island,  he  must  give  balls  and  concerts  for  their  ladies,  he 
must  entertain  the  officers  of  the  garrison.  When  the  West 
Indian  squadron  or  the  training  squadron  drop  into  the 
roadstead,  admirals,  commodores,  captains  must  all  be  in- 
vited. Foreign  ships  of  war  go  and  come  continually, 
Americans,  French,  Spaniards,  or  Portuguese.  Presidents 
of  South  American  republics,  engineers  from  Darien,  all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  men  who  go  to  Europe  in  the  English 
mail  vessels,  take  their  departure  from  Carlisle  Bay,  and  if 
they  are  neglected  regard  it  as  a national  affront.  Cataracts 
of  champagne  must  flow  if  the  British  name  is  not  to  be  dis- 
credited. The  expense  is  unavoidable  and  is  enormous, 
while  the  Governor’s  very  moderate  salary  is  found  too  large 
by  economic  politicians,  and  there  is  a cry  for  reduction 
of  it. 

I was  of  course  most  grateful  for  Sir  Charles’s  invitation 
to  myself.  From  him,  better  perhaps  than  from  anyone,  I 
could  learn  how  far  the  passionate  complaints  which  I had 
heard  about  the  state  of  the  islands  were  to  be  listened  to  as 
accounts  of  actual  fact.  I found,  however,  that  I must  post- 
pone both  this  particular  pleasure  and  my  stay  in  Barbadoes 
itself  till  a later  opportunity.  My  purpose  had  been  to  re- 


43  The  English  in  the  7 Vest  Indies. 

main  there  till  I had  given  it  all  the  time  which  I could  spare, 
thence  to  go  on  to  Jamaica,  and  from  Jamaica  to  return  at 
leisure  round  the  Antilles.  But  it  had  been  ascertained  that 
in  Jamaica  there  was  small-pox.  I suppose  that  there  gener- 
ally is  small-pox  there,  or  typhus  fever,  or  other  infectious 
disorder.  But  spasms  of  anxiety  assail  periodically  the  souls 
of  local  authorities.  Vessels  coming  from  Jamaica  had  been 
quarantined  in  all  the  islands,  and  I found  that  if  I proceeded 
thither  as  I proposed,  I should  be  refused  pei'mission  to  land 
afterwards  in  any  one  of  the  other  colonies.  In  my  perplexity 
my  Trinidad  friends  invited  me  to  accompany  them  at  once 
to  Port  of  Spain.  Trinidad  was  the  most  thriving,  or  was  at 
all  events  the  least  dissatisfied,  of  all  the  British  possessions. 
I could  have  a glance  at  the  Windward  Islands  on  the  way. 
I could  afterwards  return  to  Barbadoes,  where  Sir  Charles 
assured  me  that  I should  still  find  a room  waiting  for  me. 
The  steamer  to  Trinidad  sailed  the  same  afternoon.  I had 
to  decide  in  haste,  and  I decided  to  go.  Our  luncheon  over, 
we  had  time  to  look  over  the  pretty  gardens  at  Government 
House.  There  were  great  cabbage  palms,  cannon-ball  trees, 
mahogany  trees,  almond  trees,  and  many  more  which  were 
wholly  new  acquaintances.  There  was  a grotto  made  by 
climbing  plants  and  creepers,  with  a fountain  playing  in  the 
middle  of  it,  where  orchids  hanging  on  wires  threw  out  their 
clusters  of  flowers  for  the  moths  to  fertilise,  ferns  waved  their 
long  fronds  in  the  dripping  showers,  humming  birds  cooled 
their  wings  in  the  spray,  and  flashed  in  and  out  like  rubies 
and  emeralds.  Gladly  would  I have  lingered  there,  at  least 
for  a cigar,  but  it  could  not  be  ; we  had  to  call  on  the  Com- 
mander of  the  Forces,  Sir  C.  Pearson,  the  hero  of  Elcowe  in 
the  Zulu  war.  Him,  too,  I was  to  see  again,  and  hear  inter- 
esting stories  from  about  our  tragic  enterprise  in  the  Trans- 
vaal. For  the  moment  my  mind  was  filled  sufficiently  with 
new  impressions.  One  reads  books  about  places,  but  the 


New  Impressions. 


47 


images  which  they  create  are  always  unlike  the  real  object. 
All  that  I had  seen  was  absolutely  new  and  unexpected.  I 
was  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  readjust  the  information  which 
I had  brought  with  me.  We  joined  our  new  vessel  before 
sunset,  and  we  steamed  away  into  the  twilight. 


CHAPTER  Y. 


West  Indian  politeness — Negro  morals  and  felicity — Island  of  St.  Vin- 
cent— Grenada — The  harbour — Disappearance  of  the  whites — An 
island  of  black  freeholders — Tobago — Dramatic  art — A promising  in- 
cident. 

West  Indian  civilisation  is  old-fashioned,  and  has  none  of 
the  pushing  manners  which  belong  to  younger  and  perhaps 
more  thriving  communities.  The  West  Indians  themselves, 
though  they  may  be  deficient  in  energy,  are  uniformly  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  and  all  their  arrangements  take  their  com- 
plexion from  the  general  tone  of  society.  There  is  a refine- 
ment visible  at  once  in  the  subsidiary  vessels  of  the  mail  ser- 
vice which  ply  among  the  islands.  They  are  almost  as  large 
as  those  which  cross  the  Atlantic,  and  never  on  any  line  in 
the  world  have  I met  with  officers  so  courteous  and  culti- 
vated. The  cabins  were  spacious  and  as  cool  as  a tempera- 
ture of  80°,  gradually  rising  as  we  went  south,  would  permit. 
Punkahs  waved  over  us  at  dinner.  In  our  berths  a single 
sheet  was  all  that  was  provided  for  us,  and  this  was  one  more 
than  we  needed.  A sea  was  running  when  we  cleared  out 
from  under  the  land.  Among  the  cabin  passengers  was  a 
coloured  family  in  good  circumstances  moving  about  with 
nurses  and  children.  The  little  things,  who  had  never  been 
at  sea  before,  sat  on  the  floor,  staring  out  of  their  large  help- 
less black  eyes,  not  knowing  what  was  the  matter  with  them. 
Forward  there  were  perhaps  two  or  three  hundred  coloured 
people  going  from  one  island  to  another,  singing,  dancing, 
and  chattering  all  night  long,  as  radiant  and  happy  as  care- 


Negro  Morals. 


49 


lessness  and  content  could  make  them.  Sick  or  not  sick 
made  no  difference.  Nothing  could  disturb  the  impertur- 
bable good  humour  and  good  spirits. 

It  was  too  hot  to  sleep  ; we  sat  several  of  us  smoking  on 
deck,  and  I learnt  the  first  authentic  particulars  of  the  pres- 
ent manner  of  life  of  these  much  misunderstood  people.  Ev- 
idently they  belonged  to  a race  far  inferior  to  the  Zulus  and 
Caffres,  whom  I had  known  in  South  Africa.  They  were  more 
coarsely  formed  in  limb  and  feature.  They  would  have  been 
slaves  in  their  own  country  if  they  had  not  been  brought  to 
ours,  and  at  the  worst  had  lost  nothing  by  the  change.  They 
were  good-natured,  innocent,  harmless,  lazy  perhaps,  but  not 
more  lazy  than  is  perfectly  natural  when  even  Europeans  must 
be  roused  to  aotivity  by  cocktail. 

In  the  Antilles  generally,  Barbadoes  being  the  only  excep- 
tion, negro  families  have  each  their  cabin,  their  garden  ground, 
their  grazing  for  a cow.  They  live  surrounded  by  most  of 
the  fruits  which  grew  in  Adam’s  paradise— oranges  and  plan- 
tains, bread-fruit,  and  cocoa-nuts,  though  not  apples.  Their 
yams  and  cassava  grow  without  effort,  for  the  soil  is  easily 
woi’ked  and  inexhaustibly  fertile.  The  curse  is  taken  off  from 
nature,  and  like  Adam  again  they  are  under  the  covenant  of 
innocence.  Morals  in  the  technical  sense  they  have  none, 
but  they  cannot  be  said  to  sin,  because  they  have  no  knowl- 
edge of  a law,  and  therefore  they  can  commit  no  breach  of  the 
law.  They  are  naked  and  not  ashamed.  They  are  mar- 
ried as  they  call  it,  but  not  jiarsoned.  The  woman  prefers  a 
looser  tie  that  she  may  be  able  to  leave  a man  if  he  treats  her 
unkindly.  Yet  they  are  not  licentious.  I never  saw  an  im- 
modest look  in  one  of  their  faces,  and  never  heard  of  any 
venal  profligacy.  The  system  is  strange,  but  it  answers.  A 
missionary  told  me  that  a connection  rarely  turns  out  well 
which  begins  with  a legal  marriage.  The  children  scramble 
up  anyhow,  and  shift  for  themselves  like  chickens  as  soon  as 
4 


50  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

they  are  able  to  peck.  Many  die  in  this  way  by  eating  un- 
wholesome food,  but  also  many  live,  and  those  who  do  live 
grow  up  exactly  like  their  parents.  It  is  a very  peculiar  state 
of  things,  not  to  be  understood,  as  priest  and  missionary  agree, 
without  long  acquaintance.  There  is  evil,  but  there  is  not 
the  demoralising  effect  of  evil.  They  sin,  but  they  sin  only 
as  animals,  without  shame,  because  there  is  no  sense  of  doing 
wrong.  They  eat  the  forbidden  fruit,  but  it  brings  with  it 
no  knowdedge  of  the  difference  between  good  and  evil.  They 
steal,  but  if  detected  they  fall  back  upon  the  Lord.  It  was 
de  will  of  de  Lord  that  they  should  do  this  or  that.  De  Lord 
forbid  that  they  should  go  against  his  holy  pleasure.  In  fact 
these  poor  children  of  darkness  have  escaped  the  consequences 
of  the  Fall,  and  must  come  of  another  stock  after  all. 

Meanwhile  they  are  perfectly  happy.  In  no  part  of  the 
globe  is  there  any  peasantry  whose  every  want  is  so  com- 
pletely satisfied  as  her  Majesty’s  black  subjects  in  these  West 
Indian  Islands.  They  have  no  aspirations  to  make  them  rest- 
less. They  have  no  guilt  upon  their  consciences.  They  have 
food  for  the  picking  up.  Clothes  they  need  not,  and  lodging 
in  such  a climate  need  not  be  elaborate.  Thay  have  perfect 
liberty,  and  are  safe  from  dangers,  to  which  if  left  to  them- 
selves they  would  be  exposed,  for  the  English  rule  prevents 
the  strong  from  oppressing  the  weak.  In  their  own  country 
they  would  have  remained  slaves  to  more  warlike  races.  In 
the  West  Indies  their  fathers  underwent  a bondage  of  a cen- 
tury or  two,  lighter  at  its  worst  than  the  easiest  form  of  it  in 
Africa  ; their  descendants  in  return  have  nothing  now  to  do 
save  to  laugh  and  sing  and  enjoy  existence.  Their  quarrels, 
if  they  have  any,  begin  and  end  in  words.  If  happiness  is 
the  be  all  and  end  all  of  life,  and  those  who  have  most  of  it 
have  most  completely  attained  the  object  of  their  being,  the 
‘ nigger  ’ who  now  basks  among  the  ruins  of  the  West  Indian 
plantations  is  the  snpremest  specimen  of  present  humanity. 


St.  Vincent. 


51 


We  retired  to  our  berths  at  last.  At  waking  we  were  at 
anchor  off  St.  Vincent,  an  island  of  volcanic  mountains  robed 
in  forest  from  shore  to  crest.  Till  late  in  the  last  century 
it  was  the  headquarters  of  the  Caribs,  who  kept  up  a savage 
independence  there,  recruited  by  runaway  slaves  from  Bar- 
badoes  or  elsewhere.  Brandy  and  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie 
reduced  them  to  obedience  in  1796,  and  St.  Vincent  throve 
tolerably  down  to  the  days  of  free  trade.  Even  now  when  I 
saw  it,  Kingston,  the  principal  town,  looked  pretty  and  well 
to  do,  reminding  me,  strange  to  say,  of  towns  in  Norway, 
the  houses  stretching  along  the  shore  painted  in  the  same 
tints  of  blue  or  yellow  or  pink,  with  the  same  red-tiled  roofs, 
the  trees  coming  down  the  hillsides  to  the  water’s  edge,  villas 
of  modest  pretensions  shining  through  the  foliage,  with  the 
patches  of  cane  fields,  the  equivalent  in  the  landscape  of  the 
brilliant  Norwegian  grass.  The  prosperity  has  for  the  last 
forty  years  waned  and  waned.  There  are  now  two  thousand 
white  people  there,  and  forty  thousand  coloured  people,  and 
the  proportion  alters  annually  to  our  disadvantage.  The 
usual  remedies  have  been  tried.  The  constitution  has  been 
altered  a dozen  times.  Just  now  I believe  the  Crown  is  try- 
ing to  do  without  one,  having  found  the  results  of  the  elec- 
tive principle  not  encouraging,  but  we  shall  perhaps  revert  to 
it  before  long  ; any  way,  the  tables  show  that  each  year  the 
trade  of  the  island  decreases,  and  will  continue  to  decrease 
while  the  expenditure  increases  and  will  increase. 

I did  not  land,  for  the  time  was  short,  and  as  a beautiful 
picture  the  island  was  best  seen  from  the  deck.  The  charac- 
teristics of  the  people  are  the  same  in  all  the  Antilles,  and 
could  be  studied  elsewhere.  The  bustle  and  confusion  in 
the  ship,  the  crowd  of  boats  round  the  ladder,  the  clamour 
of  negro  men’s  tongues,  and  the  blaze  of  colours  from  the 
negro  women’s  dresses,  made  up  together  a scene  sufficiently 
entertaining  for  the  hour  which  we  remained.  In  the  middle 


52 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


of  it  the  Governor,  Mr.  S , came  on  board  with  another 

official.  They  were  going  on  in  the  steamer  to  Tobago, 
which  formed  part  of  his  dominions. 

Leaving  St.  Vincent,  we  were  all  the  forenoon  passing  the 
Grenadines,  a string  of  small  islands  fitting  into  their  proper 
place  in  the  Antilles  semicircle,  but  as  if  Nature  had  forgot- 
ten to  put  them  together  or  else  had  broken  some  large 
islaud  to  pieces,  and  scattered  them  along  the  line.  Some 
were  large  enough  to  have  once  carried  sugar  plantations, 
and  are  now  made  over  wholly  to  the  blacks ; others  were 
fishing  stations,  droves  of  whales  during  certain  months  fre- 
quenting these  waters ; others  were  mere  rocks,  amidst 
which  the  white-sailed  American  coasting  schooners  were 
beating  up  against  the  north-east  trade.  There  was  a stiff 
breeze,  and  the  sea  was  white  with  short  curling  waves,  but 
we  were  running  before  it  and  the  wind  kept  the  deck  fresh. 
At  Grenada,  the  next  island,  we  were  to  go  on  shore. 

Grenada  was,  like  St.  Vincent,  the  home  for  centuries  of 
man-eating  Caribs,  French  for  a century  and  a half,  and 
finally,  after  many  desperate  struggles  for  it,  was  ceded  to 
England  at  the  peace  of  Versailles.  It  is  larger  than  St.  Vin- 
cent, though  in  its  main  features  it  has  the  same  character. 
There  are  lakes  in  the  hills,  and  a volcanic  crater  not  wholly 
quiescent ; but  the  especial  value  of  Grenada,  which  made  us 
fight  so  hardly  to  win  it,  is  the  deep  and  landlocked  harbour, 
the  finest  in  all  the  Antilles. 

Pere  Labat,  to  whose  countrymen  it  belonged  at  the  time 
of  his  own  visit  there,  says  that  ‘ if  Barbadoes  had  such  a 
harbour  as  Grenada  it  would  be  an  island  without  a rival  in 
the  world.  If  Grenada  belonged  to  the  English,  who  knew 
how  to  turn  to  profit  natural  advantages,  it  would  be  a rich 
and  powerful  colony.  In  itself  it  was  all  that  man  could  de- 
sire. To  live  there  was  to  live  in  paradise.’  Labat  found 
the  island  occupied  by  countrymen  of  his  own,  ‘ paisans  aisez,’ 


Grenada. 


53 


he  calls  them,  growing  their  tobacco,  their  indigo  and  scarlet 
rocou,  their  pigs  and  their  poultry,  and  contented  to  be 
without  sugar,  without  slaves,  and  without  trade.  The 
change  of  hands  from  which  he  expected  so  much  had  ac- 
tually come  about.  Grenada  did  belong  to  the  English,  and 
had  belonged  to  us  ever  since  Rodney’s  peace.  I was  anx- 
ious to  see  how  far  Labat’s  prophecy  had  been  fulfilled. 

St.  George’s,  the  ‘ capital,’  stands  on  the  neck  of  a penin- 
sula a mile  in  length,  which  forms  one  side  of  the  harbour. 
Of  the  houses,  some  look  out  to  sea,  some  inwards  upon  the 
carenage,  as  the  harbour  is  called.  At  the  point  there  was  a 
fort,  apparently  of  some  strength,  on  which  the  British  flag 
was  flying.  We  signalled  that  we  had  the  Governor  on 
board,  and  the  fort  replied  with  a puff  of  smoke.  Sound  there 
was  none  or  next  to  none,  but  we  presumed  that  it  had 
come  from  a gun  of  some  kind.  We  anchored  outside.  Mr. 

S landed  in  an  official  boat,  with  two  flags,  to  distinguish 

it  from  a missionary’s  boat,  which  had  only  one.  The  crews 
of  a dozen  other  boats  then  clambered  up  the  gangway  to 
dispute  possession  of  the  rest  of  us,  shouting,  swearing,  ly- 
ing, tearing  us  this  way  and  that  way  as  if  we  were  carcases 
and  they  wild  beasts  wanting  to  dine  upon  us.  We  engaged 
a boat  for  ourselves  as  we  supposed  ; we  had  no  sooner  en- 
tered it  than  the  scandalous  boatman  proceeded  to  take  in  as 
many  more  passengers  as  it  would  hold.  Remonstrance  be- 
ing vain,  we  settled  the  matter  by  stepping  into  the  boat 
next  adjoining,  and  amidst  howls  and  execrations  we  were 
borne  triumphantly  off  and  were  pulled  in  to  the  land. 

Rabat  had  not  exaggerated  the  beauty  of  the  landlocked 
basin  into  which  we  entered  on  rounding  the  point.  On 
three  sides  wooded  hills  rose  high  till  they  passed  into 
mountains  ; on  the  fourth  was  the  castle  with  its  slopes  and 
batteries,  the  church  and  town  beyond  it,  and  everywhere 
luxuriant  tropical  forest  trees  overhanging  the  violet-coloured 


54 


The  English  in  the  1 Test  Indies. 

water.  I could  well  understand  the  Frenchman’s  delight 
when  he  saw  it,  and  also  the  satisfaction  with  which  he  would 
now  acknowledge  that  he  had  been  a shortsighted  prophet. 
The  English  had  obtained  Grenada,  and  this  is  what  they 
had  made  of  it.  The  forts  which  had  been  erected  by  his 
countrymen  had  been  deserted  and  dismantled ; the  castle 
on  which  we  had  seen  our  flag  flying  was  a ruin ; the  walls 
were  crumbling  and  in  many  places  had  fallen  down.  One 
solitary  gun  was  left,  but  that  was  honeycombed  and  could 
be  fired  only  with  half  a charge  to  salute  with.  It  was  true 
that  the  forts  had  ceased  to  be  of  use,  but  that  -was  because 
there  was  nothing  left  to  defend.  The  harbour  is,  as  I said, 
the  best  in  the  West  Indies.  There  was  not  a vessel  in  it, 
nor  so  much  as  a boat-yard  where  a spar  could  be  replaced 
or  a broken  rivet  mended.  Once  there  had  been  a line  of 
wharves,  but  the  piles  had  been  eaten  by  worms  and  the  plat- 
forms had  fallen  through.  Round  us  when  we  landed  were 
unroofed  warehouses,  weed-choked  courtyards,  doors  gone, 
and  window  frames  fallen  in  or  out.  Such  a scene  of  desola- 
tion and  desertion  I never  saw  in  my  life  save  once,  a few 
weeks  later  at  Jamaica.  An  English  lady  with  her  children 
had  come  to  the  landing  place  to  meet  my  friends.  They, 
too,  were  more  like  wandering  ghosts  than  human  beings 
with  warm  blood  in  them.  All  their  thoughts  were  on  going 
home — home  out  of  so  miserable  an  exile. 

Nature  had  been  simply  allowed  by  us  to  resume  posses- 
sion of  the  island.  Here,  where  the  cannon  had  roared,  and 
ships  and  armies  had  fought,  and  the  enterprising  English 
had  entered  into  occupancy,  under  which,  as  we  are  proud 
to  fancy,  the  waste  places  of  the  earth  grow  green,  and  in- 
dustry and  civilisation  follow  as  its  inevitable  fruit,  all  was 
now  silence.  Not  Babylon  itself,  with  its  bats  and  owls,  was 
more  dreary  and  desolate.  And  this  was  an  English  Crown 
colony,  as  rich  in  resources  as  any  area  of  soil  of  equal  size  in 


Grenada. 


55 


the  world.  England  had  demanded  and  seized  the  responsi- 
bility of  managing  it — this  was  the  result. 

A gentleman,  who  for  some  purpose  was  a passing  resident 
in  the  island,  had  asked  us  to  dine  with  him.  His  house  was 
three  or  four  miles  inland.  A good  road  remained  as  a 
legacy  from  other  times,  and  a pair  of  horses  and  a phaeton 
carried  us  swiftly  to  his  door.  The  town  of  St.  George’s  had 
once  been  populous,  and  even  now  thei’e  seemed  no  want  of 
people,  if  mere  numbers  sufficed.  We  passed  for  half  a mile 
through  a straggling  street,  where  the  houses  were  evidently 
occupied  though  unconscious  for  many  a year  of  paint  or  re- 
pair. They  were  squalid  and  dilapidated,  but  the  luxuriant 
bananas  and  orange  trees  in  the  gardens  relieved  the  ugliness 
of  their  appearance.  The  road  when  we  left  the  town  was 
overshadowed  with  gigantic  mangoes  planted  long  ago,  with 
almond  trees  and  cedar  trees,  no  relations  of  our  almonds  or 
our  cedars,  but  the  most  splendid  ornaments  of  the  West  In- 
dian forest.  The  valley  up  which  we  drove  was  beautiful, 
and  the  house,  when  we  reached  it,  showed  taste  and  culture. 
Mr. had  rare  trees,  rare  flowers,  and  was  taking  advan- 

tage of  his  temporary  residence  in  the  tropics  to  make  ex- 
periments in  horticulture.  He  had  been  brought  there,  I 
believe,  by  some  necessities  of  business.  He  told  us  that 
Grenada  was  now  the  ideal  country  of  modern  social  reform- 
ers. It  had  become  an  island  of  pure  peasant  proprietors. 
The  settlers,  who  had  once  been  a thriving  and  wealthy  com- 
munity, had  melted  away.  Not  more  than  six  hundred  Eng- 
glish  were  left,  and  these  were  clearing  out  at  their  best 
speed.  They  had  sold  their  estates  for  anything  which  they 
could  get.  The  free  blacks  had  bought  them,  and  about 
8,000  negro  families,  say  40,000  black  souls  in  all,  now  shared 
the  soil  between  them.  Each  family  lived  independently, 
growing  coffee  and  cocoa  and  oranges,  and  all  were  doing 
very  well.  The  possession  of  property  had  brought  a sense 


56  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

of  its  rights  with  it.  They  were  as  litigious  as  Irish  peasants ; 
everyone  was  at  law  with  his  neighbour,  and  the  island  was 
a gold  mine  to  the  Attorney-General ; otherwise  they  were 
quiet  harmless  fellows,  and  if  the  politicians  would  only  let 
them  alone,  they  would  be  perfectly  contented,  and  might 
eventually,  if  wisely  managed,  come  to  some  good.  To  set 
up  a constitution  in  such  a place  was  a ridiculous  mockery, 
and  would  only  be  another  name  for  swindling  and  jobbery. 
Black  the  island  was,  and  black  it  would  remain.  The  con- 
ditions were  never  likely  to  arise  which  would  bring  back  a 
European  population ; but  a governor  who  was  a sensible 
man,  who  would  reside  and  use  his  natural  influence,  could 
manage  it  with  perfect  ease.  The  island  belonged  to  Eng- 
land ; we  were  responsible  for  what  we  made  of  it,  and  for 
the  blacks’  own  sakes  w7e  ought  not  to  try  experiments  upon 
them.  They  knew  their  own  deficiencies,  and  would  infin- 
itely prefer  a wise  English  ruler  to  any  constitution  which 
could  be  offered  them.  If  left  entirely  to  themselves,  they 
would  in  a generation  or  two  relapse  into  savages  ; there  were 
but  two  alternatives  before  not  Grenada  only,  but  all  the  Eng- 
glish  West  Indies — either  an  English  administration  pure 
and  simple  like  the  East  Indian,  or  a falling  eventually  into  a 
state  like  that  of  Hayti,  where  they  eat  the  babies,  and  no 
white  man  can  owTn  a yard  of  land. 

It  was  dark  night  when  we  drove  back  to  the  port.  The 
houses  along  the  road,  which  had  looked  so  miserable  on  the 
outside,  were  now  lighted  with  paraffin  lamps.  I could  see 
into  them,  and  was  astonished  to  observe  signs  of  comfort 
and  eve^i  signs  of  taste — arm-chairs,  sofas,  side-boards  with 
cut  glass  upon  them,  engravings  and  coloured  prints  upon 
the  walls.  The  old  state  of  things  is  gone,  but  a new  state 
of  things  is  rising  which  may  have  a worth  of  its  own.  The 
plant  of  civilisation  as  yet  has  taken  but  feeble  root,  and  is 
only  beginning  to  grow.  It  may  thrive  yet  if  those  who  have 


Dramatic  Art  among  the  Negroes.  57 

troubled  all  the  earth  will  consent  for  another  century  to 
take  their  industry  elsewhere. 

The  ship’s  galley  was  waiting  at  the  wharf  when  we  reached 
it.  The  captain  also  had  been  dining  with  a friend  on  shore, 
and  we  had  to  wait  for  him.  The  offshore  night  breeze  had 
not  yet  risen.  The  harbour  was  smooth  as  a looking  glass, 
and  the  stars  shone  double  in  the  sky  and  on  the  water.  The 
silence  was  only  broken  by  the  whistle  of  the  lizards  or  the 
cry  of  some  far-off  marsh  frog.  The  air  was  warmer  than  we 
ever  feel  it  in  the  depth  of  an  English  summer,  yet  pure  and 
delicious  and  charged  with  the  perfume  of  a thousand  flowers. 
One  felt  it  strange  that  with  so  beautiful  a possession  lying 
at  our  doors,  we  should  have  allowed  it  to  slide  out  of  our 
hands.  I could  say  for  myself,  like  Pere  Labat,  the  island 
was  all  that  man  could  desire.  ‘ En  un  mot,  la  vie  y est  deli- 
cieuse.’ 

The  anchor  was  got  up  immediately  that  we  were  on  board. 
In  the  morning  we  were  to  find  ourselves  at  Port  of  Spain. 
Mr.  S — — , the  Windward  Island  governor,  who  had  joined 
us  at  St.  Vincent,  was,  as  I said,  going  to  Tobago.  De  Foe 
took  the  human  part  of  his  Robinson  Crusoe  from  the  story 
of  Juan  Feimandez.  The  locality  is  supposed  to  have  been 
Tobago,  and  Trinidad  the  island  from  which  the  cannibal 
savages  came.  We  are  continually  shuffling  the  cards,  in  a 
hope  that  a better  game  may  be  played  with  them.  Tobago 
is  now  annexed  to  Trinidad.  Last  year  it  was  a part  of  Mr. 

S ’s  dominions  which  he  periodically  visited.  I fell  in 

with  him  again  on  his  return,  and  he  told  us  an  incident  which 
befell  him  there,  illustrating  the  unexpected  shapes  in  which 
the  schoolmaster  is  appearing  among  the  blacks.  An  intima- 
tion was  brought  to  him  on  his  arrival  that,  as  the  Athenian 
journeymen  had  played  Pyramus  and  Thisbe  at  the  nuptials 
of  Theseus  and  Hippolyta,  a party  of  villagers  from  the  in- 
terior of  Tobago  would  like  to  act  before  his  Excellency.  Of 


58 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


course  lie  consented.  They  came,  and  went  through  their 
performance.  To  Mr.  S— — -’s,  and  probably  to  the  reader’s 
astonishment,  the  play  which  they  had  selected  was  the 
‘ Merchant  of  Venice.’  Of  the  rest  of  it  he  perhaps  thought, 
like  the  queen  of  the  Amazons,  that  it  was  ‘ sorry  stuff,’  but 
Shylock’s  representative,  he  said,  showed  real  appreciation. 
With  freedom  and  a peasant  proprietary,  the  money  lender  is 
a necessary  phenomenon,  and  the  actor’s  imagination  may 
have  been  assisted  by  personal  recollections. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Charles  Kingsley  at  Trinidad — Lay  of  the  Last  Buccaneer — A French 
forban — Adventure  at  Aves — Mass  on  board  a pirate  ship — Port 
of  Spain — A house  in  the  tropics — A political  meeting — Govern- 
ment House — The  Botanical  Gardens — Kingsley’s  rooms — Sugar 
estates  and  coolies. 


I might  spare  myself  a description  of  Trinidad,  for  the  natu- 
ral features  of  the  place,  its  forests  and  its  gardens,  its  ex- 
quisite flora,  the  loveliness  of  its  birds  and  insects,  have  been 
described  already,  with  a grace  of  touch  and  a fullness  of 
knowledge  which  I could  not  rival  if  I tried,  by  my  dear  friend 
Charles  Kingsley.  He  was  a naturalist  by  instinct,  and  the 
West  Indies  and  all  belonging  to  them  had  been  the  passion 
of  his  life.  He  had  followed  the  logs  and  journals  of  the 
Elizabethan  adventurers  till  he  had  made  their  genius  part  of 
himself.  In  Amyas  Leigh,  the  hero  of  ‘ Westward  Ho,’  he 
produced  a figure  more  completely  representative  of  that  ex- 
traordinary set  of  men  than  any  other  novelist,  except  Sir 
Walter,  has  ever  done  for  an  age  remote  from  his  own.  He 
followed  them  down  into  their  latest  developments,  and  sang 
their  swan  song  in  his  ‘Lay  of  the  Last  Buccaneer.’  So 
characteristic  is  this  poem  of  the  transformation  of  the  West 
Indies  of  romance  and  adventure  into  the  West  Indies  of 
sugar  and  legitimate  trade,  that  I steal  it  to  ornament  my 
own  prosaic  pages. 


GO 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  BUCCANEER. 


Oh ! England  is  a pleasant  place  for  them  that's  rich  and  high, 

But  England  is  a cruel  place  for  such  poor  folks  as  I ; 

And  such  a port  for  mariners  I’ll  never  see  again 
As  the  pleasant  Isle  of  Aves  beside  the  Spanish  main. 

There  were  forty  craft  in  Aves  that  were  both  swift  and  stout, 

All  furnished  well  with  small  arms  and  cannon  all  about ; 

And  a thousand  men  in  Aves  made  laws  so  fair  and  free 
To  choose  their  valiant  captains  and  obey  them  loyally. 

Then  we  sailed  against  the  Spaniard  with  his  hoards  of  plate  and  gold, 
Which  he  wrung  with  cruel  tortures  from  Indian  folks  of  old  ; 
Likewise  the  merchant  captains,  with  hearts  as  hard  as  stone, 

Who  flog  men  and  keelhaul  them  and  starve  them  to  the  bone. 

Oh ! palms  grew  high  in  Aves,  and  fruits  that  shone  like  gold, 

And  the  colibris  and  parrots  they  were  gorgeous  to  behold, 

And  the  negro  maids  to  Aves  from  bondage  fast  did  flee 
To  welcome  gallant  sailors  a sweeping  in  from  sea. 

Oh  ! sweet  it  was  in  Aves  to  hear  the  landward  breeze 
A swing  with  good  tobacco  in  a net  between  the  trees, 

With  a negro  lass  to  fan  you  while  you  listened  to  the  roar 

Of  the  breakers  on  the  reef  outside  which  never  touched  the  shore. 

But  Scripture  saith  an  ending  to  all  fine  things  must  be, 

So  the  king’s  ships  sailed  on  Aves  and  quite  put  down  were  we. 

All  day  we  fought  like  bull  dogs,  but  they  burnt  the  booms  at  night, 
And  I fled  in  a piragua  sore  wounded  from  the  fight. 

Nine  days  I floated^tarving,  and  a negro  lass  beside, 

Till  for  all  I tried  to  cheer  her  the  poor  young  thing  she  died. 

But  as  I lay  a gasping  a Bristol  sail  came  by, 

And  brought  me  home  to  England  here  to  beg  until  I die. 

And  now  I’m  old  and  going : I’m  sure  I can’t  tell  where. 

One  comfort  is,  this  world’s  so  hard  I can’t  be  worse  off  there. 

If  I might  but  be  a sea  dove,  I’d  fly  across  the  main 
To  the  pleasant  Isle  of  Aves  to  look  at  it  once  again. 

By  tlie  side  of  this  imaginative  picture  of  a poor  English 
sea  rover,  let  me  place  another,  an  authentic  one,  of  a French 
forban  or  pirate  in  the  same  seas.  Kingsley’s  Aves,  or  Isle  of 


A French  Pirate. 


61 


Birds,  is  down  on  the  American  coast.  There  is  another  is- 
land of  the  same  name,  which  was  occasionally  frequented  by 
the  same  gentry,  about  a hundred  miles  south  of  Dominica. 
Pere  Labat  going  once  from  Martinique  to  Guadaloupe  had 
taken  a berth  with  Captain  Daniel,  one  of  the  most  noted  of 
the  French  corsairs  of  the  day,  for  better  security.  People 
were  not  scrupulous  in  those  times,  and  Labat  and  Daniel 
had  been  long  good  friends.  They  were  caught  in  a gale  off 
Dominica,  blown  away,  and  carried  to  Aves,  where  they  found 
an  English  merchant  ship  lying  a wreck.  Two  English  ladies 
from  Barbadoes  and  a dozen  other  people  had  escaped  on 
shore.  They  had  sent  for  help,  and  a large  vessel  came  for 
them  the  day  after  Daniel’s  arrival.  Of  course  he  made  a 
prize  of  it.  Labat  said  prayers  on  board  for  him  before  the 
engagement,  and  the  vessel  surrendered  after  the  first  shot. 
The  good  humour  of  the  party  was  not  disturbed  by  this  in- 
cident. The  pirates,  their  prisoners,  and  the  ladies  stayed 
together  for  a fortnight  at  Aves,  catching  turtles  and  bou- 
canning  them,  picnicking,  and  enjoying  themselves.  Daniel 
treated  the  ladies  with  the  utmost  politeness,  carried  them 
afterwards  to  St.  Thomas’s,  dismissed  them  unransomed,  sold 
his  prizes,  and  wound  up  the  whole  affair  to  the  satisfaction 
of  every  one.  Labat  relates  all  this  with  wonderful  humour, 
and  tells,  among  other  things,  the  following  story  of  Daniel. 
On  some  expedition,  when  he  was  not  so  fortunate  as  to 
have  a priest  on  board,  he  was  in  want  of  provisions.  Being 
an  outlaw  he  could  not  furnish  himself  in  an  open  port.  One 
night  he  put  into  the  harbour  of  a small  island,  called  Los 
Santos,  not  far  from  Dominica,  where  only  a few  families  re- 
sided. He  sent  a boat  on  shore  in  the  darkness,  took  the 
priest  and  two  or  three  of  the  chief  inhabitants  out  of  their 
beds,  and  carried  them  on  board,  where  he  held  them  as 
hostages,  and  then  under  pretence  of  compulsion  requisitioned 
the  island  to  send  him  what  he  wanted.  The  priest  and  his 


62  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

companions  were  treated  meanwhile  as  guests  of  distinction. 
No  violence  was  necessary,  for  all  parties  understood  one 
another.  While  the  stores  were  being  collected,  Daniel  sug- 
gested that  there  was  a good  opportunity  for  his  crew  to  hear 
mass.  The  priest  of  Los  Santos  agreed  to  say  it  for  them. 
The  sacred  vessels,  &c.,  were  sent  for  from  the  church  on 
shore.  An  awning  was  rigged  over  the  forecastle,  and  an 
altar  set  up  under  it.  The  men  chanted  the  prayers.  The 
cannon  answered  the  purpose  of  music.  Broadsides  were 
fired  at  the  first  sentence,  at  the  Exaudiat,  at  the  Elevation,  at 
the  Benediction,  and  a fifth  at  the  prayer  for  the  king.  The 
service  was  wound  up  by  a Vive  le  Roi ! A single  small  ac- 
cident only  had  disturbed  the  ceremony.  One  of  the  pirates, 
at  the  Elevation,  being  of  a profane  mind,  made  an  indecent 
gesture.  Daniel  rebuked  him,  and,  as  the  offence  was  re- 
peated, drew  a pistol  and  blew  the  man’s  brains  out,  saying 
he  would  do  the  same  to  any  one  who  was  disrespectful  to  the 
Holy  Sacrament.  The  priest  being  a little  startled,  Daniel 
begged  him  not  to  be  alarmed  ; he  was  only  chastising  a ras- 
cal to  teach  him  his  duty.  At  any  rate,  as  Labat  observed, 
he  had  effectually  prevented  the  rascal  from  doing  anything 
of  the  same  kind  again.  Mass  being  over,  the  body  was 
thrown  overboard,  and  priest  and  congregation  went  their 
several  ways. 

Kingsley’s  ‘ At  Last  ’ gave  Trinidad  an  additional  interest 
to  me,  but  even  he  had  not  prepared  me  completely  for  the 
place  w'hich  I was  to  see.  It  is  only  wrhen  one  has  seen  any 
object  with  one’s  own  eyes,  that  the  accounts  given  by  others 
become  recognisable  and  instructive. 

Trinidad  is  the  largest,  after  Jamaica,  of  the  British  West 
Indian  Islands,  and  the  hottest  absolutely  after  none  of  them. 
It  is  square-shaped,  and,  I suytpose,  was  once  a part  of  South 
America.  The  Orinoco  river  and  the  ocean  currents  between 
them  have  cut  a channel  between  it  and  the  mainland,  which 


63 


Port  of  Spain. 

has  expanded  into  a vast  shallow  lake  known  as  the  Gulf  of 
Paria.  The  two  entrances  by  which  the  gulf  is  approached 
are  narrow  and  are  called  bocas  or  mouths — one  the  Dragon’s 
Mouth,  the  other  the  Serpent’s.  When  the  Orinoco  is  in 
flood,  the  water  is  brackish,  and  the  brilliant  violet  blue  of 
the  Caribbean  Sea  is  changed  to  a dirty  yellow  ; but  the 
harbour  which  is  so  formed  wopld  hold  all  the  commercial 
navies  of  the  world,  and  seems  formed  by  nature  to  be  the 
depot  one  day  of  an  enormous  trade. 

Trinidad  has  had  its  period  of  romance.  Columbus  was 
the  first  discoverer  of  it.  Raleigh  was  there  afterwards  on 
his  expedition  in  search  of  his  gold  mine,  and  tarred  his  ves- 
sels with  pitch  out  of  the  famous  lake.  The  island  was  alter- 
nately Spanish  and  French  till  Picton  took  it  in  1797,  since 
which  time  it  has  remained  English.  The  Carib  part  of  the 
population  has  long  vanished.  The  rest  of  it  is  a medley  of 
English,  French,  Spaniards,  negroes,  and  coolies.  The  Eng- 
glish,  chiefly  migratory,  go  there  to  make  money  and  go  home 
with  it.  The  old  colonial  families  have  few  representatives 
left,  but  the  island  prospers,  trade  increases,  coolies  increase, 
cocoa  and  coffee  plantations  and  indigo  plantations  increase. 
Port  of  Spain,  the  capital,  grows  annually ; and  even  sugar 
holds  its  own  in  spite  of  low  prices,  for  there  is  money  at  the 
back  of  it,  and  a set  of  people  who,  being  speculative  and 
commercial,  are  better  on  a level  with  the  times  than  the  old- 
fashioned  planter  aristocracy  of  the  other  islands.  The  soil 
is  of  extreme  fertility,  about  a fourth  of  it  under  cultivation, 
the  rest  natural  forest  and  unappropriated  Crown  land. 

We  passed  the  ‘ Dragon’s  Jaws  ’ before  daylight.  The  sun 
had  just  risen  when  we  anchored  off  Port  of  Spain.  We  saw 
before  us  the  usual  long  line  of  green  hills  with  mountains 
behind  them  ; between  the  hills  and  the  sea  was  a low,  broad, 
alluvial  plain,  deposited  by  an  arm  of  the  Orinoco  and  by 
the  other  rivers  which  run  into  the  gulf.  The  cocoa-nut 


64 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


palms  thrive  best  on  the  water’s  edge.  They  stretched  for 
miles  on  either  side  of  us  as  a fringe  to  the  shore.  Where 
the  water  was  shoal,  there  were  vast  swamps  of  mangrove, 
the  lower  branches  covered  with  oysters. 

However  depressed  sugar  might  be,  business  could  not  be 
stagnant.  Ships  of  all  nations  lay  round  us  taking  in  or  dis- 
charging cargo.  I myself  formed  for  the  time  being  part  of 

the  cargo  of  my  friend  and  host  Mr.  G , who  had  brought 

me  to  Trinidad,  the  accomplished  son  of  a brilliant  mother, 
himself  a distinguished  lawyer  and  member  of  the  executive 
council  of  the  island,  a charming  companion,  an  invaluable 
public  servant,  but  with  the  temperament  of  a man  of  genius, 
half  humorous,  half  melancholy,  which  does  not  find  itself 
entirely  at  home  in  West  Indian  surroundings. 

On  landing  we  found  ourselves  in  a large  foreign-looking 
town,  ‘ Port  of  Spain  ’ having  been  built  by  French  and  Span- 
iards according  to  their  national  tendencies,  and  especially 
with  a view  to  the  temperature,  which  is  that  of  a forcing 
house,  and  rarely  falls  below  80°.  The  streets  are  broad  and 
are  planted  with  trees  for  shade,  each  house  where  room  per- 
mits having  a garden  of  its  own,  with  palms  and  mangoes 
and  coffee  plants  and  creepers.  Of  sanitary  arrangements 
there  seemed  to  be  none.  There  is  abundance  of  rain,  and 
the  gutters  which  run  down  by  the  footway  are  flushed  al- 
most every  day.  But  they  are  all  open.  Dirt  of  every  kind 
lies  about  freely,  to  be  washed  into  them  or  left  to  putrefy 
as  fate  shall  direct.  The  smell  would  not  be  pleasant  with- 
out the  help  of  that  natural  scavenger  the  Johnny  crow,  a 
black  vulture  who  roosts  on  the  trees  and  feeds  in  the  middle 
of  the  streets.  We  passed  a dozen  of  these  unclean  but  use- 
ful birds  in  a fashionable  thoroughfare  gobbling  up  chicken 
entrails  and  refusing  to  be  disturbed.  When  gorged  they 
perch  in  rows  upon  the  roofs.  On  the  ground  they  are  the 
nastiest  to  look  at  of  all  winged  creatures  ; yet  on  windy  days 


A House  in  the  Tropics. 


65 


they  presume  to  soar  like  their  kindred,  and  when  far  up 
might  be  taken  for  eagles. 

The  town  has  between  thirty  and  forty  thousand  people 
living  in  it,  and  the  rain  and  Johnny  crows  between  them 
keep  off  pestilence.  Outside  is  a large  savannah  or  park, 
where  the  villas  are  of  the  successful  men  of  business.  One 
of  these  belonged  to  my  host,  a cool  airy  habitation  with  open 
doors  and  windows,  overhanging  portico,  and  rooms  into 
which  all  the  winds  might  enter,  but  not  the  sun.  A garden 
in  front  was  shut  off  from  the  savannah  by  a fence  of  ba- 
nanas. At  the  gate  stood  as  sentinel  a cabbage  palm  a hun- 
dred feet  high ; on  the  lawn  mangoes,  oranges,  papaws,  and 
bread-fruit  trees,  strange  to  look  at,  but  luxuriantly  shady. 
Before  the  door  was  a tree  of  good  dimensions,  whose  name 
I have  forgotten,  the  stem  and  branches  of  which  were  hung 
with  orchids  which  G — — had  collected  in  the  woods.  The 
borders  were  blazing  with  varieties  of  the  single  hibiscus, 
crimson,  pink,  and  fawn  colour,  the  largest  that  I had  ever 
seen.  The  average  diameter  of  each  single  flower  was  from 
seven  to  eight  inches.  Wind  streamed  freely  through  the 
long  sitting  room,  loaded  with  the  perfume  of  orange  trees  ; 
on  table  and  in  bookcase  the  hand  and  mind  visible  of  a 
gifted  and  cultivated  man.  The  particular  room  assigned  to 
myself  would  have  been  equally  delightful,  but  that  my  pos- 
session of  it  was  disputed  even  in  daylight  by  mosquitoes, 
who  for  bloodthirsty  ferocity  had  a bad  pre-eminence  over 
the  worst  that  I had  ever  met  with  elsewhere.  I killed  one 
who  was  at  work  upon  me,  and  examined  him  through  a 
glass.  Bewick,  with  the  inspiration  of  genius,  had  drawn  his 
exact  likeness  as  the  devil — a long  black  stroke  for  a body,  a 
nick  for  a neck,  horns  on  the  head,  and  a beak  for  a mouth, 
spindle  arms,  and  longer  spindle  legs,  two  pointed  wings,  and 
a tail.  Line  for  line  there  the  figure  was  before  me  which  in 
the  unforgetable  tailpiece  is  driving  the  thief  under  the  gal- 


66 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

lows,  and  I liad  a melancholy  satisfaction  in  identifying  him. 
I had  been  warned  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  scorpions,  centi- 
pedes, jiggers,  and  land  crabs,  who  would  bite  me  if  I 
walked  slipperless  over  the  floor  in  the  dark.  Of  these,  I 
met  with  none,  either  there  or  anywhere ; but  the  mosquito 
of  Trinidad  is  enough  by  himself.  For  malice,  mockery, 
and  venom  of  tooth  and  trumpet,  he  is  without  a match  in 
the  world. 

From  mosquitoes,  however,  one  could  seek  safety  in  to- 
bacco smoke,  or  hide  behind  the  lace  curtains  with  which 
every  bed  is  provided.  Otherwise  I found  every  provision 
to  make  life  pass  deliciously.  To  walk  is  difficult  in  a damp 
steamy  temperature  hotter  duiing  daylight  than  the  hottest 
forcing  house  in  Kew.  I was  warned  not  to  exert  myself  and 
to  take  cocktail  freely.  In  the  evening  I might  venture  out 
■with  the  bats  and  take  a drive  if  I wished  in  the  twilight. 
Languidly  charming  as  it  all  was,  I could  not  help  asking 
myself  of  what  use  such  a possession  could  be  either  to  Eng- 
land or  to  the  English  nation.  We  could  not  colonise  it, 
could  not  cultivate  it,  could  not  draw  a revenue  from  it.  If 
it  prospered  commercially  the  prosperity  would  be  of  French 
and  Spaniards,  mulattoes  and  blacks,  but  scarcely,  if  at  all, 
of  my  own  countrymen.  For  here  too,  as  elsewhere,  they 
were  growing  fewer  daily,  and  those  who  remained  were 
looking  forward  to  the  day  when  they  could  be  released. 
If  it  were  not  for  the  honour  of  the  thing,  as  the  Irish- 
man said  after  being  carried  in  a sedan  chair  which  had  no 
bottom,  we  might  have  spared  ourselves  so  unnecessary  a 
conquest. 

Beautiful,  however,  it  was  beyond  dispute.  Before  sunset 
a carriage  took  us  round  the  savannah.  Tropical  human 
beings  like  tropical  birds  are  fond  of  fine  colours,  especially 
black  human  beings,  and  the  park  was  as  brilliant  as  Ken- 
sington Gardens  on  a Sunday.  At  nightfall  the  scene  became 


Politics  in  Trinidad. 


67 


yet  more  wonderful ; air,  grass,  and  trees  being  aligbt  with 
fireflies  each  as  brilliant  as  an  English  glowworm.  The  palm 
tree  at  our  own  gate  stood  like  a ghostly  sentinel  clear  against 
the  starry  sky,  a single  long  dead  frond  hanging  from  below 
the  coronet  of  leaves  and  clashing  against  the  stem  as  it  was 
blown  to  and  fro  by  the  night  wind,  while  long-winged  bats 
swept  and  whistled  over  our  heads. 

The  commonplace  intrudes  upon  the  imaginative.  At  mo- 
ments one  can  fancy  that  the  world  is  an  enchanted  place 
after  all,  but  then  comes  generally  an  absurd  awakening.  On 
the  first  night  of  my  arrival,  before  we  went  to  bed  there  came 
an  invitation  to  me  to  attend  a political  meeting  which  was  to 
be  held  in  a few  days  on  the  savannah.  Trinidad  is  a purely 
Crown  colony,  and  has  escaped  hitherto  the  introduction  of 
the  election  virus.  The  newspapers  and  certain  busy  gentle- 
men in  ‘ Port  of  Spain  ’ had  discovered  that  they  were  living 
under  ‘ a degrading  tyranny,’  and  they  demanded  a ‘ consti- 
tion.’  They  did  not  complain  that  their  affairs  had  been  ill- 
managed.  On  the  contrary,  they  insisted  that  they  were  the 
most  prosperous  of  the  West  Indian  colonies,  and  alone  had 
a surplus  in  their  treasury.  If  this  was  so,  it  seemed  to  me 
that  they  had  better  let  well  alone.  The  population,  all  told, 
was  but  170,000,  less  by  thirty  thousand  than  that  of  Barba- 
does.  They  were  a mixed  and  motley  assemblage  of  all  races 
and  colours,  busy  each  with  their  own  affairs,  and  never  hith- 
erto troubling  themselves  about  politics.  But  it  had  pleased 
the  Home  Government  to  set  up  the  beginning  of  a constitu- 
tion again  in  Jamaica,  no  one  knew  why,  but  so  it  was,  and 
Trinidad  did  not  choose  to  be  behindhand.  The  official  ap- 
pointments were  valuable,  and  had  been  hitherto  given  away 
by  the  Crown.  The  local  popularities  very  naturally  wished 
to  have  them  for  themselves.  This  was  the  reality  in  the 
thing  so  far  as  there  was  a reality.  It  was  dressed  up  in  the 
phrases  borrowed  from  the  great  English  masters  of  the  art, 


68 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

about  privileges  of  manhood,  moral  dignity,  the  elevating  in- 
fluence of  the  suffrage,  &c.,  intended  for  home  consumption 
among  the  believers  in  the  orthodox  Badical  faith. 

For  myself  I could  but  reply  to  the  gentlemen  who  had 
sent  the  invitation,  that  I was  greatly  obliged  by  the  compli- 
ment, but  that  I knew  too  little  of  their  affairs  to  make  my 
presence  of  any  value  to  them.  As  they  were  doing  so  well, 
I did  not  see  myself  why  they  wanted  an  alteration.  Politi- 
cal changes  were  generally  little  more  than  turns  of  a kaleido- 
scope ; you  got  a new  pattern  but  it  was  made  of  the  same 
pieces,  and  things  went  on  much  as  before.  If  they  wanted 
political  liberty  I did  not  doubt  that  they  would  get  it  if  they 
were  loud  and  persistent  enough.  Only  they  must  under- 
stand that  at  home  we  were  now  a democracy.  Any  consti- 
tution which  was  granted  them  would  be  on  the  widest  basis. 
The  blacks  and  coolies  outnumbered  the  Europeans  by  four 
to  one,  and  perhaps  when  they  had  what  they  asked  for  they 
might  be  less  pleased  than  they  expected. 

You  rise  early  in  the  tropics.  The  first  two  hours  of  day- 
light are  the  best  of  the  day.  My  friend  drove  me  round  the 
town  in  his  buggy  the  next  morning.  My  second  duty  was 
to  pay  my  respects  to  the  Governor,  Sir  William  Bobinson, 
who  had  kindly  offered  me  hospitality,  and  for  which  I must 
present  myself  to  thank  him.  In  Sir  William  I found  one  of 
those  happy  men  whose  constitution  is  superior  to  climate, 
who  can  do  a long  day’s  work  in  his  office,  play  cricket  or 
lawm  tennis  in  the  afternoon,  and  entertain  his  miscellaneous 
subjects  in  the  evening  with  sumptuous  hospitality — a vigor- 
orous,  effective,  perhaps  ambitious  gentleman,  with  a clear  eye 
to  the  views  of  his  employers  at  home  on  whom  his  promo- 
tion depends — certain  to  make  himself  agreeable  to  them, 
likely  to  leave  his  mark  to  useful  purpose  on  the  colonies  over 
which  he  presides  or  may  preside  hereafter.  Here  in  Trini- 
dad he  was  learning  Spanish  in  addition  to  his  other  linguis- 


Government  House  and  Gardens. 


69 


tic  accomplishments,  that  he  might  show  proper  courtesies 
to  Spanish  residents  and  to  visitors  from  South  America. 

The  ‘ Residence  ’ stands  in  a fine  situation,  in  large  grounds 
of  its  own  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  It  has  been  lately- 
built  regardless  of  expense,  for  the  colony  is  rich,  and  likes 
to  do  things  handsomely.  On  the  lawn,  under  the  windows, 
stood  a tree  which  was  entirely  new  to  me,  an  enormous  ceiba 
or  silk  cotton  tree,  umbrella  shaped,  fifty  yards  in  diameter, 
the  huge  and  buttressed  trunk  throwing  out  branches  so  mas- 
sive that  one  wondered  how  any  woody  fibre  could  bear  the 
strain  of  their  weight,  the  boughs  twisting  in  and  out  till 
they  made  a roof  over  one’s  head,  which  was  hung  with 
every  fantastic  variety  of  parasites. 

Vast  as  the  ceibas  were  which  I saw  afterwards  in  other 
parts  of  the  West  Indies,  this  was  the  largest.  The  ceiba  is 
the  sacred  tree  of  the  negro,  the  temple  of  Jumbi  the  proper 
home  of  Obeah.  To  cut  one  down  is  impious.  No  black  in 
his  right  mind  would  wound  even  the  bark.  A Jamaica  po- 
lice officer  told  me  that  if  a ceiba  had  to  be  removed,  the 
men  who  used  the  axe  were  well  dosed  with  rum  to  give  them 
courage  to  defy  the  devil. 

From  Government  House  we  strolled  into  the  adjoining 
Botanical  Gardens.  I had  long  heard  of  the  wonders  of 
these.  The  reality  went  beyond  description.  Plants  with 
which  I was  familiar  as  shrubs  in  English  conservatories  were 
here  expanded  into  forest  giants,  with  hundreds  of  others  of 
which  we  cannot  raise  even  Lilliputian  imitations.  Let  man 
be  what  he  will,  nature  in  the  tropics  is  always  grand. 
Palms  were  growing  in  the  greatest  luxuriance,  of  every 
known  species,  from  the  cabbage  towering  up  into  the  sky 
to  the  fan  palm  of  the  desert  whose  fronds  are  reservoirs  of 
water.  Of  exogenous  trees,  the  majority  were  leguminous 
in  some  shape  or  other,  forming  flowers  like  a pea  or  vetch 
and  hanging  their  seed  in  pods  ; yet  in  shape  and  foliage 


70 


The  English  in  the  T Vest  Indies. 


they  distanced  far  the  most  splendid  ornaments  of  an  English 
park.  They  had  Old  World  names  with  characters  wholly 
different  : cedars  which  were  not  conifers,  almonds  which 
were  no  relations  to  peaches,  and  gum  trees  as  unlike  euca- 
lypti as  one  tree  can  be  unlike  another.  Again,  you  saw 
forms  which  you  seemed  to  recognise  till  some  unexpected 
anomaly  startled  you  out  of  your  mistake.  A gigantic  Portu- 
gal laurel,  or  what  I took  for  such,  was  throwing  out  a flower 
direct  from  the  stem  like  a cactus.  Grandest  among  them 
all,  and  happily  in  full  bloom,  was  the  sacred  tree  of  Bur- 
mah,  the  Amherstia  nobilis,  at  a distance  like  a splendid  horse- 
chestnut,  with  crimson  blossoms  in  pendant  bunches,  each 
separate  flower  in  the  convolution  of  its  parts  exactly  coun- 
terfeiting a large  orchid,  with  which  it  has  not  the  faintest 
affinity,  the  Amherstia  being  leguminous  like  the  rest. 

Underneath,  and  dispersed  among  the  imperial  beauties, 
were  spice  trees,  orange  trees,  coffee  plants  and  cocoa,  or 
again,  shrubs  with  special  virtues  or  vices.  We  had  to  be 
careful  what  we  were  about,  for  fruits  of  fairest  appearance 
were  tempting  us  all  round.  My  companion  was  preparing 
to  eat  something  to  encourage  me  to  do  the  same.  A gar- 
dener stopped  him  in  time.  It  was  nux  vomica.  I was  stray- 
ing along  a less  frequented  path,  conscious  of  a heavy  vapor- 
ous odour,  in  which  I might  have  fainted  had  I remained  ex- 
posed to  it.  I was  close  to  a manchineel  tree. 

Prettiest  and  freshest  were  the  nutmegs,  which  had  a glen 
all  to  themselves  and  perfumed  the  surrounding  air.  In 
Trinidad  and  in  Grenada  I believe  the  nutmegs  are  the  lar- 
gest that  are  known,  being  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  high ; 
leaves  brilliant  green,  something  like  the  leaves  of  an  orange, 
but  extremely  delicate  and  thin,  folded  one  over  the  other, 
the  lowest  branches  sweeping  to  the  ground  till  the  whole 
tree  forms  a natural  bower,  which  is  proof  against  a tropical 
shower.  The  fragrance  attracts  moths  and  flies ; not  mos- 


A Remarkable  Vine. 


71 


quitoes,  who  prefer  a ranker  atmosphere.  I saw  a pair  of 
butterflies  the  match  of  which  I do  not  remember  even  in 
any  museum,  dark  blue  shot  with  green  like  a peacock’s 
neck,  and  the  size  of  English  bats.  I asked  a black  boy  to 
catch  me  one.  ‘ That  sort  no  let  catchee,  rnassa,’  he  said ; 
and  I was  penitently  glad  to  hear  it. 

Among  the  wonders  of  the  gardens  are  the  vines  as  they 
call  them,  that  is,  the  creepers  of  various  kinds  that  climb 
about  the  other  trees.  Standing  in  an  open  space  there  was 
what  once  had  been  a mighty  ‘cedar.’  It  was  now  dead,  only 
the  trunk  and  dead  branches  remaining,  and  had  been  mur- 
dered by  a ‘ fig  ’ vine  which  had  started  from  the  root,  twined 
itself  like  a python  round  the  stem,  strangled  out  the  natural 
life,  and  spreading  out  in  all  directions  had  covered  boughs 
and  twigs  with  a foliage  not  its  own.  So  far  the  ‘ vine  ’ had 
done  no  worse  than  ivy  does  at  home,  but  there  was  one  feat- 
ure about  it  which  puzzled  me  altogether.  The  lowest  of  the 
original  branches  of  the  cedar  were  about  twenty  feet  above 
our  heads.  From  these  in  four  or  five  places  the  parasite  had 
let  fall  shoots,  perhaps  an  inch  in  diameter,  which  descended 
to  within  a foot  of  the  grouud  and  then  suddenly,  without 
touching  that  or  anything,  formed  a bight  like  a rope,  went 
straight  up  again,  caught  hold  of  the  branch  from  which  they 
started,  and  so  hung  suspended  exactly  as  an  ordinary  swing. 
In  three  distinctly  perfect  instances  the  ‘ vine  ’ had  executed 
this  singular  evolution,  while  at  the  extremity  of  one  of  the 
longest  and  tallest  branches  high  up  in  the  air  it  had  made  a 
clean  leap  of  fifteen  feet  without  visible  help  and  had  caught 
hold  of  another  tree  adjoining  on  the  same  level.  These  per- 
formances were  so  inexplicable  that  I conceived  that  they 
must  have  been  a freak  of  the  gardener’s.  I was  mistaken. 
He  said  that  at  particular  times  in  the  year  the  fig  vine  threw 
out  fine  tendrils  which  hung  downwards  like  strings.  The 
strongest  among  them  would  lay  hold  of  two  or  three  others 


72  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

and  climb  up  upon  them,  the  rest  would  die  and  drop  off, 
while  the  successful  one,  having  found  support  for  itself 
above,  would  remain  swinging  in  the  air  and  thicken  and 
prosper.  The  leap  he  explained  by  the  wind.  I retained  a 
suspicion  that  the  wind  had  been  assisted  by  some  aspiring 
energy  in  the  plant  itself,  so  bold  it  was  and  so  ambitious. 

But  the  wonders  of  the  garden  were  thrown  into  the  shade 
by  the  cottage  at  the  extreme  angle  of  it  (the  old  Government 
House  before  the  present  fabric  had  been  erected),  where 
Kingsley  had  been  the  guest  of  Sir  Arthur  Gordon.  It  is  a 
long  straggling  wooden  building  with  deep  verandahs  lying 
in  a hollow  overshadowed  by  trees,  with  views  opening  out 
into  the  savannah  through  arches  formed  by  clumps  of  tall 
bamboos,  the  canes  growing  thick  in  circular  masses  and 
shooting  up  a hundred  feet  into  the  air,  where  they  meet  and 
form  frames  for  the  landscape,  peculiar  and  even  picturesque 
when  there  are  not  too  many  of  them.  These  bamboos  were 
Kingsley’s  special  delight,  as  he  had  never  seen  the  like  of 
them  elsewhere.  The  room  in  which  he  wrote  is  still  shown, 
and  the  gallery  where  he  walked  up  and  down  with  his  long 
pipe.  His  memory  is  cherished  in  the  island  as  of  some  sin- 
gular and  beautiful  presence  which  still  hovers  about  the 
scenes  which  so  delighted  him  in  the  closing  evening  of  his 
own  life. 

It  was  the  dry  season,  midwinter,  yet  raining  every  day  for 
two  or  three  hours,  and  when  it  rains  in  these  countries  it 
means  business.  When  the  sky  cleared  the  sun  was  intoler- 
ably hot,  and  distant  expeditions  under  such  conditions  suited 
neither  my  age  nor  my  health.  With  cocktail  I might  have 
ventured,  but  to  cocktail  I could  never  heartily  reconcile  my- 
self. Trinidad  has  one  wonder  in  it,  a lake  of  bitumen  some 
ninety  acres  in  extent,  which  all  travellers  are  expected  to 
visit,  and  which  few  residents  care  to  visit.  A black  lake  is 
not  so  beautiful  as  an  ordinary  lake.  I had  no  doubt  that  it 


Negroes  and  Coolies. 


73 


existed,  for  the  testimony  was  unimpeachable.  Indeed  I was 
shown  an  actual  specimen  of  the  crystallized  pitch  itself.  I 
could  believe  without  seeing  and  without  undertaking  a tedi- 
ous journey.  I rather  sympathised  with  a noble  lord  who 
came  to  Port  of  Spain  in  his  yacht,  and  like  myself  had  the 
lake  impressed  upon  him.  As  a middle  course  between  go- 
ing thither  and  appearing  to  slight  his  friends’  recommenda- 
tions, he  said  that  he  would  send  his  steward. 

In  Trinidad,  as  everywhere  else,  my  own  chief  desire  was 
to  see  the  human  inhabitants,  to  learn  what  they  were  doing, 
how  they  were  living,  and  what  they  were  thinking  about, 
and  this  could  best  be  done  by  drives  about  the  town  and 
neighbourhood.  The  cultivated  land  is  a mere  fringe  round 
the  edges  of  the  forest.  Three-fourths  of  the  soil  are  un- 
touched. The  rivers  running  out  of  the  mountains  have 
carved  out  the  usual  long  deep  valleys,  and  spread  the  bot- 
toms with  rich  alluvial  soil.  Here  among  the  wooded  slopes 
are  the  country  houses  of  the  merchants.  Here  are  the 
cabins  of  the  black  peasantry  with  their  cocoa  and  coffee  and 
orange  plantations,  which  as  in  Grenada  they  hold  largely  as 
freeholds,  reproducing  as  near  as  possible  the  life  in  Paradise 
of  our  first  parents,  without  the  consciousness  of  a want  which 
they  are  unable  to  gratify,  not  compelled  to  work,  for  the 
earth  of  her  own  self  bears  for  them  all  that  thej  need,  and 
ignorant  that  there  is  any  difference  between  moral  good 
and  evil. 

Large  sugar  estates,  of  course,  there  still  are,  and  as  the 
owners  have  not  succeeded  in  bringing  the  negroes  to  work 
regularly  for  them,1  they  have  introduced  a few  thousand 
coolies  under  indentures  for  five  years.  These  Asiatic  im- 
portations are  very  happy  in  Trinidad  ; they  save  money,  and 

1 The  negroes  in  the  interior  are  beginning  to  cultivate  sugar  cane  in 
small  patches,  with  common  mills  to  break  it  up.  If  the  experiment  suc- 
ceeds it  may  extend. 


74  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

many  of  them  do  not  return  home  when  their  time  is  out,  but 
stay  where  they  are,  buy  land,  or  go  into  trade.  They  are 
proud,  however,  and  will  not  intermarry  with  the  Africans. 
Few  bring  their  families  with  them  ; and  women  being  scanty 
among  them,  there  arise  inconveniences  and  sometimes  se- 
rious crimes. 

It  were  to  be  wished  that  there  was  more  prospect  of  the 
race  becoming  permanent  than  I fear  there  is.  They  work 
excellently.  They  are  picturesque  additions  to  the  landscape, 
as  they  keep  to  the  bright  colours  and  graceful  drapery  of 
India.  The  grave  dignity  of  their  faces  contrasts  remarkably 
with  the  broad,  good-humoured,  but  common  features  of  the 
African.  The  black  women  look  with  envy  at  the  straight 
hair  of  Asia,  and  twist  their  unhappy  wool  into  knots  and 
ropes  in  the  vain  hope  of  being  mistaken  for  the  purer  race  ; 
but  this  is  all.  The  African  and  the  Asiatic  will  not  mix, 
and  the  African  being  the  stronger  will  and  must  prevail  in 
Trinidad  as  elsewhere  in  the  West  Indies.  Out  of  a total 
population  of  170,000,  there  are  25,000  whites  and  mulattoes, 
10,000  coolies,  the  rest  negroes.  The  English  part  of  the 
Europeans  shows  no  tendency  to  increase.  The  English 
come  as  birds  of  passage,  and  depart  when  they  have  made 
their  fortunes.  The  French  and  Spaniards  may  hold  on  to 
Trinidad  as  a home.  Our  people  do  not  make  homes  there, 
and  must  be  looked  on  as  a transient  element. 


CHAPTER  VH. 


A coolie  village — Negro  freeholds — Waterworks — Pythons — Slavery — 
Evidence  of  Lord  Rodney — Future  of  the  negroes — Necessity  of 
English  rule — The  Blue  Basin — Black  boy  and  crayfish. 

The  second  morning  after  my  arrival,  my  host  took  me  to  a 
coolie  village  three  miles  beyond  the  town.  The  drive  was 
between  spreading  cane  fields,  beneath  the  shade  of  bamboos, 
or  under  rows  of  cocoa-nut  palms,  between  the  stems  of  which 
the  sun  was  gleaming. 

Human  dwelling-places  are  rarely  interesting  in  the  tropics. 
A roof  which  will  keep  the  rain  out  is  all  that  is  needed.  The 
more  free  the  passage  given  to  the  air  under  the  floor  and 
through  the  side,  the  more  healthy  the  habitation ; and  the 
houses,  when  we  came  among  them,  seemed  merely  enlarged 
packing  cases  loosely  nailed  together  and  raised  on  stones  a 
foot  or  two  from  the  ground.  The  rest  of  the  scene  was  pic- 
turesque enough.  The  Indian  jewellers  were  sitting  cross- 
legged  before  their  charcoal  pans,  making  silver  bracelets  and 
earrings.  Brilliant  garments,  crimson  and  blue  and  orange, 
were  hanging  to  dry  on  clothes  lines.  Men  were  going  out 
to  their  work,  women  cooking,  children  (not  many)  playing 
or  munching  sugar  cane,  while  great  mango  trees  and  ceibas 
spread  a cool  green  roof  over  all.  Like  Rachel,  the  coolies 
had  brought  their  gods  to  their  new  home.  In  the  centre  of 
the  village  was  a Hindoo  temple,  made  up  rudely  out  of 
boards  with  a verandah  running  round  it.  The  doors  were 
locked.  An  old  man  who  had  charge  told  us  we  could  not 
enter ; a crowd,  suspicious  and  sullen,  gathered  about  us  as 


76  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

we  tried  to  prevail  upon  liim.  So  we  had  to  content  our- 
selves with  the  outside,  which  was  gaudily  and  not  unskilfully 
painted  in  Indian  fashion.  There  were  gods  and  goddesses 
in  various  attitudes ; Yishnu  fighting  with  the  monkey  god, 
Vishnu  with  cutlass  and  shield,  the  monkey  with  his  tail 
round  one  tree  while  he  brandished  two  others,  one  in  each 
hand,  as  clubs.  I suppose  that  we  smiled,  for  our  curiosity 
was  resented,  and  we  found  it  prudent  to  withdraw. 

The  coolies  are  useful  creatures.  Without  them  sugar 
cultivation  in  Trinidad  and  Demerara  would  cease  altogether. 
They  are  useful  and  they  are  singularly  ornamental.  Unfor- 
tunately they  have  not  the  best  character  with  the  police. 
There  is  little  crime  among  the  negroes,  who  quarrel  furi- 
ously but  with  their  tongues  only.  The  coolies  have  the 
fiercer  passions  of  their  Eastern  blood.  Their  women  being 
few  are  tempted  occasionally  into  infidelities,  and  would  be 
tempted  more  often  but  that  a lapse  in  virtue  is  so  fearfully 
avenged.  A coolie  regards  his  wife  as  his  property,  and  if 
she  is  unfaithful  to  him  he  kills  her  without  the  least  hesita- 
tion. One  of  the  judges  told  me  that  he  had  tried  a case  of 
this  kind,  and  could  not  make  the  man  understand  that  he 
had  done  anything  wrong.  It  is  a pity  that  a closer  inter- 
mixture between  them  and  the  negroes  seems  so  hopeless, 
for  it  would  solve  many  difficulties.  There  is  no  jealousy. 
The  negro  does  not  regard  the  coolie  as  a competitor  and  in- 
terloper who  has  come  to  lower  his  wages.  The  coolie  comes 
to  work.  The  negro  does  not  want  to  work,  and  both  are 
satisfied.  JBut  if  there  is  no  jealousy  there  is  no  friendship. 
The  two  races  are  more  absolutely  apart  than  the  white  and 
the  black.  The  Asiatic  insists  the  more  on  his  superiority  in 
the  fear  perhaps  that  if  he  did  not  the  white  might  forget  it. 

Among  the  sights  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Port  of  Spain 
are  the  waterworks,  extensive  basins  and  reservoirs  a few 
miles  off  in  the  hills.  We  chose  a cool  afternoon,  when  the 


Negro  Freeholds. 


77 


temperature  in  the  shade  was  not  above  86°,  and  went  to 
look  at  them.  It  was  my  first  sight  of  the  interior  of  the 
island,  and  my  first  distinct  acquaintance  with  the  change 
which  had  come  over  the  West  Indies.  Trinidad  is  not  one 
of  our  oldest  possessions,  but  we  had  held  it  long  enough  for 
the  old  planter  civilisation  to  take  root  and  grow,  and  our 
road  led  us  through  jungles  of  flowering  shrubs  which  were 
running  wild  over  what  had  been  once  cultivated  estates. 
Stranger  still  (for  one  associates  colonial  life  instinctively 
with  what  is  new  and  modern),  we  came  at  one  place  on  an 
avenue  of  vast  trees,  at  the  end  of  which  stood  the  ruins  of 
a mansion  of  some  great  man  of  the  departed  order.  Great 
man  he  must  have  been,  for  there  was  a gateway  half 
crumbled  away  on  which  were  his  crest  and  shield  in  stone, 
with  supporters  on  either  side,  like  the  Baron  of  Bradwar- 
dine’s  Bears  ; fallen  now  like  them,  but  unlike  them  never, 
I fear,  to  be  set  up  again.  The  Anglo-West  Indians,  like  the 
English  gentry  in  Ireland,  were  a fine  race  of  men  in  their 
day,  and  perhaps  the  improving  them  off  the  earth  has  been 
a less  beneficial  process  in  either  case  than  we  are  in  the 
habit  of  supposing. 

Entering  among  the  hills  we  came  on  their  successors.  In 
Trinidad  there  are  18,000  freeholders,  most  of  them  negroes 
and  representatives  of  the  old  slaves.  Their  cabins  are 
spread  along  the  road  on  either  side,  overhung  with  bread- 
fruit trees,  tamarinds,  calabash  trees,  out  of  which  they  make 
their  cups  and  water  jugs  ; the  luscious  granadilla  climbs 
among  the  branches  ; plantains  throw  their  cool  shade  over 
the  doors  ; oranges  and  limes  and  citrons  perfume  the  air, 
and  droop  their  boughs  under  the  weight  of  their  golden 
bui’dens.  There  were  yams  in  the  gardens  and  cows  in  the 
paddocks,  and  cocoa  bushes  loaded  with  purple  or  yellow 
pods.  Children  played  about  in  swarms,  in  happy  idleness 
and  abundance,  with  schools,  too,  at  intervals,  and  an  occa- 


78 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


sional  Catholic  chapel,  for  the  old  religion  prevails  in  Trini- 
dad, never  having  been  disturbed.  What  form  could  human 
life  assume  more  charming  than  that  which  we  were  now 
looking  on?  Once  more,  the  earth  does  not  contain  any 
peasantry  so  well  off,  so  well  cared  for,  so  happy,  so  sleek 
and  contented  as  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  emancipated 
slaves  in  the  English  West  Indian  Islands.  Sugar  may  fail 
the  planter,  but  cocoa,  which  each  peasant  can  grow  with 
small  effort  for  himself,  does  not  fail  and  will  not.  He  may 
‘ better  his  condition,’  if  he  has  any  such  ambition,  without 
stirring  beyond  his  own  ground,  and  so  far,  perhaps,  his  am- 
bition may  extend,  if  it  is  not  turned  oft’  upon  politics. 
Even  the  necessary  evils  of  the  tropics  are  not  many  or  seri- 
ous. His  skin  is  proof  against  mosquitoes.  There  are  snakes 
in  Trinidad  as  there  were  snakes  in  Eden.  ‘ Plenty  snakes,’ 
said  one  of  them  who  was  at  work  in  his  garden,  ‘plenty 
snakes,  but  no  bitee.’  As  to  costume,  he  would  prefer  the 
costume  of  innocence  if  he  was  allowed.  Clothes  in  such  a 
climate  are  superfluous  for  warmth,  and  to  the  minds  of 
the  negroes,  unconscious  as  they  are  of  shame,  superfluous 
for  decency.  European  prejudice,  however,  still  passes  for 
something  ; the  women  have  a love  for  finery,  which  would 
prevent  a complete  return  to  African  simplicity  ; and  in  the 
islands  which  are  still  French,  and  in  those  like  Trinidad, 
which  the  French  originally  colonised,  they  dress  themselves 
with  real  taste.  They  hide  their  wool  in  red  or  yellow  hand- 
kerchiefs, gracefully  twisted  ; or  perhaps  it  is  not  only  to 
conceal  the  wool.  Columbus  found  the  Carib  women  of  the 
island  dressing  their  hair  in  the  same  fashion.1 

The  waterworks,  when  we  reached  them,  were  even  more 
beautiful  than  we  had  been  taught  to  expect.  A dam  has 
been  driven  across  a perfectly  limpid  mountain  stream  ; a 

1 Traen  las  cabezas  atadas  con  unos  panuelos  labrados  hermosos  que 
parecen  de  lejos  de  seda  y almazarrones. 


79 


The  Waterworks  of  Port  of  Spain. 

wide  open  area  has  been  cleared,  levelled,  strengthened  with 
masonry,  and  divided  into  deep  basins  or  reservoirs,  through 
which  the  current  continually  flows.  Hedges  of  hibiscus 
shine  with  crimson  blossoms.  Innumerable  humming  birds 
glance  to  and  fro  among  the  trees  and  shrubs,  and  gardens 
and  ponds  are  overhung  by  magnificent  bamboos,  which  so 
astonished  me  by  their  size  that  I inquired  if  their  height 
had  been  measured.  One  of  them,  I was  told,  had  lately 
fallen,  and  was  found  to  be  130  feet  long.  A single  draw- 
back only  there  was  to  this  enchanting  spot,  and  it  was  again 
the  snakes.  There  are  huge  pythons  in  Trinidad  which  are 
supposed  to  have  crossed  the  straits  from  the  continent. 
The  cool  water  pools  attract  them,  and  they  are  seen  occa- 
sionally coiled  among  the  branches  of  the  bamboos.  Some 
washerwomen  at  work  in  the  stream  had  been  disturbed  a 
few  days  before  our  visit  by  one  of  these  monsters,  who  had 
come  down  to  see  what  they  were  about.  They  are  harm- 
less, but  trying  to  the  nerves.  One  of  the  men  about  the 
place  shot  this  one,  and  he  told  me  that  he  had  shot  another 
a short  time  before  asleep  in  a tree.  The  keeper  of  the 
works  was  a retired  soldier,  an  Irish-Scot  from  Limerick, 
hale,  vigorous,  and  happy  as  the  blacks  themselves.  He  had 
married  one  of  them — a remarkable  exception  to  an  almost 
universal  rule.  He  did  not  introduce  us,  but  the  dark  lady 
passed  by  us  in  gorgeous  costume,  just  noticing  our  presence 
with  a sweep  which  would  have  done  credit  to  a duchess. 

We  made  several  similar  small  expeditions  into  the  settled 
parts  of  the  neighbourhood,  seeing  always  (whatever  else  we 
saw)  the  boundless  happiness  of  the  black  race.  Under  the 
rule  of  England  in  these  islands  the  two  million  of  these  poor 
brothers-in-law  of  ours  are  the  most  perfectly  contented 
specimens  of  the  human  race  to  be  found  upon  the  planet. 
Even  Schopenhauer,  could  he  have  known  them,  would  have 
admitted  that  there  were  some  of  us  who  were  not  hopelessly 


80  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

YvTetcliecl.  If  happiness  be  the  satisfaction  of  every  conscious 
desire,  theirs  is  a condition  which  admits  of  no  improve- 
ment : were  they  independent,  they  might  quarrel  among 
themselves,  and  the  weaker  become  the  bondmen  of  the 
stronger  ; under  the  beneficent  despotism  of  the  English 
Government,  which  knows  no  difference  of  colour  and  permits 
no  oppression,  they  can  sleep,  lounge,  and  laugh  away  their 
lives  as  they  please,  fearing  no  danger.  If  they  want  money, 
work  and  wages  are  waiting  for  them.  No  one  can  say  what 
may  be  before  them  hereafter.  The  powers  which  envy  hu- 
man beings  too  perfect  felicity  may  find  ways  one  day  of  dis- 
turbing the  West  Indian  negro  ; but  so  long  as  the  English 
rule  continues,  he  may  be  assured  of  the  same  tranquil  exist- 
ence. 

As  life  goes  he  has  been  a lucky  mortaL  He  was  taken 
away  from  Dahomey  and  Ashantee — to  be  a slave  indeed,  but 
a slave  to  a less  cruel  master  than  he  would  have  found  at 
home.  He  had  a bad  time  of  it  occasionally,  and  the  planta- 
tion whip  and  the  branding  irons  are  not  all  dreams,  yet  his 
owner  cared  for  him  at  least  as  much  as  he  cared  for  his 
cows  and  his  horses.  Kind  usage  to  animals  is  more  econ- 
omical than  barbarity,  and  Englishmen  in  the  West  Indies 
were  rarely  inhuman.  Lord  Rodney  says : ‘ I have  been 
often  in  all  the  West  India  Islands,  and  I have  often  made  my 
observations  on  the  treatment  of  the  negro  slaves,  and  can 
aver  that  I never  knew  the  least  cruelty  inflicted  on  them,  but 
that  in  general  they  lived  better  than  the  honest  day-labouring 
man  in  England,  without  doing  a fourth  part  of  his  work  in 
a day,  and  I am  fully  convinced  that  the  negroes  in  our  isl- 
ands are  better  provided  for  and  live  better  than  when  in 
Guinea.’  Rodney,  it  is  true,  was  a man  of  facts  and  was 
defective  in  sentiment.  Let  us  suppose  him  wrong,  let  us 
believe  the  worst  horrors  of  the  slave  trade  or  slave  usage  as 
fluent  tongue  of  missionary  or  demagogue  has  described 


English  Rule  and  the  Negroes.  81 

them,  yet  nevertheless,  when  we  consider  what  the  lot  of 
common  humanity  has  been  and  is,  we  shall  be  dishonest  if 
we  deny  that  the  balance  has  been  more  than  redressed ; 
and  the  negroes  who  were  taken  away  out  of  Africa,  as 
compared  with  those  who  were  left  at  home,  were  as  the 
‘ elect  to  salvation,’  who  after  a brief  purgatory  are  secured 
an  eternity  of  blessedness.  The  one  condition  is  the  main- 
tenance of  the  authority  of  the  English  crown.  The  whites 
of  the  islands  cannot  equitably  rule  them.  They  have  not 
shaken  off  the  old  traditions.  If,  for  the  sake  of  theory 
or  to  shirk  responsibility,  we  force  them  to  govern  them- 
selves, the  state  of  Hayti  stands  as  a ghastly  example  of  the 
condition  into  which  they  will  then  inevitably  fall.  If  we 
persist,  we  shall  be  sinning  against  light— the  clearest  light 
that  was  ever  given  in  such  affairs.  The  most  hardened  be- 
liever in  the  regenerating  effects  of  political  liberty  cannot 
be  completely  blind  to  the  ruin  which  the  infliction  of  it 
would  necessarily  bring  upon  the  race  for  whose  interests 
they  pretend  particularly  to  care. 

The  Pitch  Lake  I resisted  all  exhortations  to  visit,  but  the 
days  in  the  forest  were  delightful — pre-eminently  a day 
which  we  spent  at  the  ‘ Blue  Basin,’  a pool  scooped  out  in  the 
course  of  ages  by  a river  falling  through  a mountain  gorge  ; 
blue,  not  from  any  colour  in  the  water,  which  is  purely  trans- 
parent, but  from  a peculiar  effect  of  sky  reflection  through 
an  opening  in  the  overhanging  trees.  As  it  was  far  off,  we 
had  to  start  early  and  encounter  the  noonday  heat.  We  had 
to  close  the  curtains  of  the  carriage  to  escape  the  sun,  and  in 
losing  the  sun  we  shut  out  the  wind.  All  was  well,  however, 
when  we  turned  into  the  hills.  Thenceforward  the  road  fol- 
lowed the  bottom  of  a densely  wooded  ravine  ; impenetrable 
foliage  spreading  over  our  heads,  and  a limpid  river  flashing 
along  in  which  our  horses  cooled  their  feet  and  lips  as  we 
crossed  it  again  and  again.  There  were  the  usual  cabins  and 
6 


82  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

gardens  on  either  side  of  us,  sometimes  single,  sometimes 
clustering  into  villages,  and  high  above  them  the  rocks  stood 
out,  broken  into  precipices  or  jutting  out  into  projecting 
crags,  with  huge  trees  starting  from  the  crevices,  dead  trunks 
with  branching  arms  clothed  scantily  with  creepers,  or  liv- 
ing giants  with  blue  or  orange-coloured  flowers.  Mangoes 
scented  the  valley  with  their  blossom.  Bananas  waved  their 
long  broad  leaves— some  flat  and  unbroken  as  we  know  them 
in  conservatories,  some  split  into  palm-like  fronds  which 
quivered  in  the  breeze.  The  cocoa  pods  were  ripe  or  ripen- 
ing, those  which  had  been  gathered  being  left  on  the  ground 
in  heaps  as  we  see  apples  in  autumn  in  an  English  orchard. 

We  passed  a lady  on  the  way  who  was  making  sketches  and 
daring  the  mosquitoes,  that  were  feeding  at  leisure  upon  her 
face  and  arms.  The  road  failed  us  at  last.  We  alighted 
with  our  waterproofs  and  luncheon  basket.  A couple  of  half- 
naked  boys  sprang  forward  to  act  as  guides  and  porters— 
nice  little  fellows,  speaking  a French  patois  for  their  natural 
language,  but  with  English  enough  to  earn  shillings  and 
amuse  the  British  tourist.  With  their  help  we  scrambled 
along  a steep  slippery  path,  the  river  roaring  below,  till  we 
came  to  a spot  where,  the  rock  being  soft,  a waterfall  had 
cut  out  in  the  course  of  ages  a natural  hollow,  of  which  the 
trees  formed  the  roof,  and  of  which  the  floor  was  the  pool  we 
had  come  in  search  of.  The  fall  itself  was  perpendicular,  and 
fifty  or  sixty  feet  high,  the  water  issuing  at  the  top  out  of 
a dark  green  tunnel  among  overhanging  branches.  The  sides 
of  the  basin  were  draped  with  the  fronds  of  gigantic  ferns 
and  wild  plantains,  all  in  wild  luxuriance  and  dripping  with 
the  spray.  In  clefts  above  the  rocks,  large  cedars  or  gum 
trees  had  struck  their  roots  and  flung  out  their  gnarled  and 
twisted  branches,  which  were  hung  with  fem  ; while  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  pool,  where  the  river  left  it  again,  there 
grew  out  from  among  the  rocks  near  the  water’s  edge  tall 


The  Blue  Basin. 


83 


arid  exquisitely  grouped  acacias  with  crimson  flowers  for 
leaves. 

The  place  broke  on  us  suddenly  as  we  scrambled  round 
a corner  from  below.  Three  young  blacks  were  bathing  in 
the  pool,  and  as  we  had  a lady  with  us,  they  were  induced, 
though  sullenly  and  with  some  difficulty,  to  return  into  their 
scanty  garments  and  depart.  Never  certainly  was  there  a 
more  inviting  spot  to  swim  in,  the  more  so  from  exciting 
possibilities  of  adventure.  An  English  gentleman  went  to 
bathe  there  shortly  before  our  coming.  He  wras  on  a rock, 
swaying  his  body  for  a plunge,  when  something  caught  his 
eye  among  the  shadows  at  the  bottom.  It  proved  to  be  a 
large  dead  python. 

We  had  not  the  luck  ourselves  of  falling  in  with  so  inter- 
esting a beast.  Great  butterflies  and  perhaps  a humming 
bird  or  two  were  flitting  among  the  leaves  as  we  came  up  ; 
other  signs  of  life  there  were  none,  unless  we  call  life  the  mo- 
tion of  the  plantain  leaves,  waving  in  the  draughts  of  air 
which  wei*e  eddying  round  the  waterfall.  We  sat  down  on 
stones,  or  on  the  trunk  of  a fallen  tree,  the  mosquitoes  merci- 
fully sparing  us.  We  sketched  a little,  talked  a little,  ate  our 
sandwiches,  and  the  male  part  of  us  lighted  our  cigars.  G 

then,  to  my  sui-prise,  produced  a fly  rod.  In  the  streams 

in  the  Antilles,  which  run  out  of  the  mountains,  there  is  a fish 
in  great  abundance  which  they  call  mullet,  an  inferior  trout, 
but  a good  substitute  where  the  real  thing  is  not.  He  runs 
sometimes  to  five  pounds  weight,  will  take  the  fly,  and  is  much 
sought  after  by  those  who  try  to  preserve  in  the  tropics  the 

amusements  and  habits  of  home.  G had  caught  many 

of  them  in  Dominica.  If  in  Dominica,  why  not  in  Trini- 
dad? 

He  put  his  tackle  together,  tied  up  a cast  of  trout  flies, 
and  commenced  work.  He  tried  the  still  water  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  basin.  He  crept  round  the  rock  and  dropped  his 


84 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


line  into  the  foam  at  the  foot  of  the  fall.  No  mullet  rose, 
nor  fish  of  any  kind.  One  of  our  small  hoys  had  looked  on 
with  evident  impatience.  He  cried  out  at  last,  ‘ No  mullet, 
but  plenty  crayfish,’  pointing  down  into  the  water  ; and  there, 
following  the  direction  of  his  finger,  we  beheld  strange  grey 
creatures,  like  cuttle-fish  moving  about  on  the  points  of  their 
toes,  the  size  of  small  lobsters.  The  flies  were  dismounted, 
a bare  hook  was  fitted  on  a fine  gut  trace,  with  a split  shot 
or  two  to  sink  the  line,  all  trim  and  excellent.  A fresh- 
water shrimp  was  caught  under  a stone  for  a bait.  G 

went  to  work,  and  the  strange  things  took  hold  and  let  them- 
selves be  lifted  halfway  to  the  surface.  But  then,  somehow, 
they  let  go  and  disappeared. 

Our  small  boy  said  nothing  ; but  I saw  a scornful  smile 
upon  his  lips.  He  picked  up  a thin  dry  cane,  found  some 
twine  in  the  luncheon  basket  which  had  tied  up  our  sand- 
wiches, found  a pin  there  also,  and  bent  it,  and  put  a shrimp 
on  it.  With  a pebble  stone  for  a sinker  he  started  in  compe- 
tition, and  in  a minute  he  had  brought  out  upon  the  rock 
the  strangest  thing  in  the  shape  of  a fish  which  I had  ever 
seen  in  fresh  water  or  salt.  It  was  a true  ‘ crayfish,  ecrevisse, 
eight  inches  long,  formed  regularly  with  the  thick  powerful 
tail,  the  sharp  serrated  snout,  the  long  antenna',  and  the 
spider-like  legs  of  the  lobster  tribe.  As  in  a crayfish,  the 
claws  were  represented  by  the  correctly  shaped  but  diminu- 
tive substitutes. 

When  we  had  done  wondering  at  the  prize,  we  could  ad- 
mire the  smile  of  conscious  superiority  in  the  face  of  the 
captor.  The  fine  tackle  had  been  beaten,  as  usual,  by  the 
proverbial  string  and  crooked  pin,  backed  by  knowledge  in 
the  head  of  a small  nigger  boy. 


CHAPTER  VHI. 


Home  Rule  in  Trinidad — Political  aspirations — Nature  of  the  problem — 
Crown  administration— Colonial  governors — A Russian  apologue — 
Dinner  at  Government  House — ‘The  Three  Fishers’- — Charles  War- 
ner— Alternative  futures  of  the  colony. 

The  political  demonstration  to  which  I had  been  invited  came 
off  the  next  day  on  the  savannah.  The  scene  was  pretty 
enough.  Black  coats  and  white  trousers,  bright-coloured 
dresses  and  pink  parasols,  look  the  same  at  a distance  whether 
the  wearer  has  a black  face  or  a white  one,  and  the  broad 
meadow  was  covered  over  with  sparkling  groups.  Several 
thousand  persons  must  have  attended,  not  all  to  hear  the  ora- 
tory, for  the  occasion  had  been  taken  when  the  Governor  was 
to  play  close  by  in  a cricket  match,  and  half  the  crowd  had 
probably  collected  to  see  His  Excellency  at  the  wicket. 
Placards  had  been  posted  about  the  town,  setting  out  the 
purpose  of  the  meeting.  Trinidad,  as  I said,  is  at  present  a 
Crown  colony,  the  executive  council  and  the  legislature  being 
equally  nominated  by  the  authorities.  The  popular  orators, 
the  newspaper  writers,  and  some  of  the  leading  merchants 
in  Port  of  Spain  had  discovered,  as  I said,  that  they  were 
living  under  what  they  called  ‘a  degrading  tyranny.’  They 
had  no  grievances,  or  none  that  they  alleged,  beyond  the 
general  one  that  they  had  no  control  over  the  finance.  They 
very  naturally  desired  that  the  lucrative  Government  appoint- 
ments for  which  the  colony  paid  should  be  distributed  among 
themselves.  The  elective  principle  had  been  reintroduced  in 
Jamaica,  evidently  as  a step  towards  the  restoration  of  the 


8G 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


full  constitution  which  had  been  surrendered  and  suppressed 
after  the  Gordon  riots.  Trinidad  was  almost  as  large  as 
Jamaica,  in  proportion  to  the  population  wealthier  and  more 
prosperous,  and  the  people  were  invited  to  come  together  in 
overwhelming  numbers  to  insist  that  the  ‘ tyranny  ’ should 
end.  The  Home  Government  in  their  action  about  Jamaica 
had  shown  a spontaneous  readiness  to  transfer  responsibility 
from  themselves  to  the  inhabitants.  The  promoters  of  the 
meeting  at  Port  of  Spain  may  have  thought  that  a little  press- 
ure on  their  part  might  not  be  unwelcome  as  an  excuse  for 
further  concessions  of  the  same  kind.  Whether  this  was  so 
I do  not  know.  At  any  rate  they  showed  that  they  were  as 
yet  novices  in  the  art  of  agitation.  The  language  of  the 
placard  of  invitation  was  so  violent  that,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
legal  authorities,  the  printer  might  have  been  indicted  for 
high  treason.  The  speakers  did  their  best  to  imitate  the  fine 
phrases  of  the  apostles  of  liberty  in  Europe,  but  they  suc- 
ceeded only  in  caricaturing  their  absurdities.  The  proceed- 
ings were  described  at  length  in  the  rival  newspapers.  One 
gentleman’s  speech  was  said  to  have  been  so  brilliant  that 
every  sentence  was  a ‘ gem  of  oratory,’  the  gem  of  gems  being 
when  he  told  his  hearers  that,  ‘ if  they  went  into  the  thing 
at  all,  they  should  go  the  entire  animal.  ’ All  went  off  good- 
humouredly.  In  the  Liberal  journal  the  event  of  the  day  was 
spoken  of  as  the  most  magnificent  demonstration  in  favour 
of  human  freedom  which  had  ever  been  seen  in  the  West 
Indian  Islands.  In  the  Conservative  journal  it  was  called  a 
ridiculous  fiasco,  and  the  people  were  said  to  have  come  to- 
gether only  to  admire  the  Governor’s  batting,  and  to  laugh 
at  the  nonsense  which  was  coming  from  the  platform.  Fi- 
nally, the  same  journal  assured  us  that,  beyond  a handful  of 
people  who  were  interested  in  getting  hold  of  the  anticipated 
spoils  of  office,  no  one  in  the  island  cared  about  the  matter. 

The  result,  I believe,  was  some  petition  or  other  which 


Colonial  Self- Government. 


87 


would  go  home  and  pass  as  evidence,  to  minds  eager  to  be- 
lieve, that  Trinidad  was  rapidly  ripening  for  responsible 
government,  promising  relief  to  an  overburdened  Secretary 
for  the  Colonies,  who  has  more  to  do  than  he  can  attend  to, 
and  is  pleased  with  opportunities  of  gratifying  popular  senti- 
ment, or  of  showing  off  in  Parliament  the  development  of 
colonial  institutions.  He  knows  nothing,  can  know  nothing, 
of  the  special  conditions  of  our  hundred  dependencies.  He 
accepts  what  his  representatives  in  the  several  colonies  choose 
to  tell  him ; and  his  representatives,  being  birds  of  passage 
responsible  only  to  their  employers  at  home,  and  depending 
for  their  promotion  on  making  themselves  agreeable,  are  un- 
der irresistible  temptations  to  report  what  it  will  please  the 
Secretary  of  State  to  hear. 

For  the  Secretary  of  State,  too,  is  a bird  of  passage  as  they 
are,  passing  through  the  Colonial  Office  on  his  way  to  other 
departments,  or  holding  the  seals  as  part  of  an  administration 
whose  tenure  of  office  grows  every  year  more  precarious, 
which  exists  only  upon  popular  sentiment,  and  cannot,  and 
does  not,  try  to  look  forward  beyond  at  furthest  the  next 
session  of  Parliament. 

But  why,  it  may  be  asked,  should  not  Trinidad  govern 
itself  as  well  as  Tasmania  or  New  Zealand?  Why  not 
Jamaica,  why  not  all  the  West  Indian  Islands  ? I will  answer 
by  another  question.  Do  we  wish  these  islands  to  remain 
as  part  of  the  British  Empire  ? Are  they  of  any  use  to  us, 
or  have  we  responsibilities  connected  with  them  of  which  we 
are  not  entitled  to  divest  ourselves  ? A government  elected 
by  the  majority  of  the  people  (and  no  one  would  think  of 
settingup  constitutions  on  any  other  basis)  reflects  from  th~ 
nature  of  things  the  character  of  the  electors.  All  these 
islands  tend  to  become  partitioned  into  black  peasant  pro- 
prietaries. In  Grenada  the  process  is  almost  complete.  In 
Trinidad  it  is  rapidly  advancing.  No  one  can  stop  it.  No 


88 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


one  ought  to  wish  to  stop  it.  But  the  ownership  of  freeholds 
is  one  thing,  and  political  power  is  another.  The  blacks  de- 
pend for  the  progress  which  they  may  be  capable  of  making 
on  the  presence  of  a white  community  among  them  ; and  al- 
though it  is  undesirable  or  impossible  for  the  blacks  to  be 
ruled  by  the  minority  of  the  white  residents,  it  is  equally  un- 
desirable and  equally  impossible  that  the  whites  should  be 
ruled  by  them.  The  relative  numbers  of  the  two  races  being 
what  they  are,  responsible  government  in  Trinidad  means 
government  by  a black  parliament  and  a black  ministry.  The 
negro  voters  might  elect,  to  begin  with,  their  half-caste  attor- 
neys or  such  whites  (the  most  disreputable  of  their  colour)  as 
would  court  their  suffrages.  But  the  black  does  not  love  the 
mulatto,  and  despises  the  white  man  who  consents  to  be  his 
servant.  He  has  no  grievances.  He  is  not  naturally  a poli- 
tician, and  if  left  alone  with  his  own  patch  of  land,  will  never 
trouble  himself  to  look  further.  But  he  knows  what  has 
happened  in  St.  Domingo.  He  has  heard  that  his  race  is  al- 
ready in  full  possession  of  the  finest  of  all  the  islands.  If  he 
has  any  thought  or  any  hopes  about  the  matter,  it  is  that  it 
may  be  with  the  rest  of  them  as  it  has  been  with  St.  Domingo, 
and  if  you  force  the  power  into  his  hands,  you  must  expect 
him  to  use  it.  Under  the  constitution  which  you  would  set 
up,  whites  and  blacks  may  be  nominally  equal ; but  from  the 
enormous  preponderance  of  numbers  the  equality  would  be 
only  in  name,  and  such  English  people,  at  least,  as  would  be 
really  of  any  value,  would  refuse  to  remain  in  a false  and  in- 
tolerable position.  Already  the  English  population  of  Trini- 
dad is  dwindling  away  under  the  uncertainties  of  their  future 
position.  Complete  the  work,  set  up  a constitution  with  a 
black  prime  minister  and  a black  legislature,  and  they  will 
withdraw  of  themselves  before  they  are  compelled  to  go. 
Spaniards  and  French  might  be  tempted  by  advantages  of 
trade  to  remain  in  Port  of  Spain,  as  a few  are  still  to  be  found 


Colonial  Self-  Government. 


89 


in  Hayti.  They,  it  is  possible,  might  in  time  recover  and  re- 
assert their  supremacy.  Englishmen  have  the  world  open  to 
them,  and  will  prefer  lands  where  they  can  live  under  less 
degrading  conditions.  In  Hayti  the  black  republic  allows  no 
white  man  to  hold  land  in  freehold.  The  blacks  elsewhere 
with  the  same  opportunities  will  develop  the  same  aspira- 
tions. 

Do  we,  or  do  we  not,  intend  to  x’etain  our  West  Indian 
Islands  under  the  sovereignty  of  the  Queen  ? If  we  are  will- 
ing to  let  them  go,  the  question  is  settled.  But  we  ought  to 
face  the  alternative.  There  is  but  one  form  of  government 
under  which  we  can  retain  these  colonies  with  honour  and 
security  to  ourselves  and  with  advantage  to  the  negroes 
whom  we  have  placed  there— -the  mode  of  government  which 
succeeds  with  us  so  admirably  that  it  is  the  world’s  wonder 
in  the  East  Indies,  a success  so  unique  and  so  extraordinary 
that  it  seems  the  last  from  which  we  are  willing  to  take  ex- 
ample. 

In  Natal,  where  the  circumstances  are  analogous,  and 
where  report  says  that  efforts  are  being  also  made  to  force 
on  constitutional  independence,  I remember  suggesting  a 
few  years  ago  that  the  governor  should  be  allowed  to  form 
his  own  council,  and  that  in  selecting  the  members  of  it  he 
should  go  round  the  colony,  observe  the  farms  where  the 
land  was  well  inclosed,  the  fields  clean,  the  farm  buildings 
substantial  and  in  good  repair ; that  he  should  call  on  the 
owners  of  these  to  be  his  advisers  and  assistants.  In  all 
Natal  he  might  find  a dozen  such.  They  would  be  unwilling 
to  leave  their  own  business  for  so  thankless  a purpose  ; but 
they  might  be  induced  by  good  feeling  to  grant  him  a few 
weeks  of  their  time.  Under  such  an  administration  I imagine 
Natal  would  have  a happier  future  before  it  than  it  will  ex- 
perience with  the  boon  which  is  designed  for  it. 

In  the  West  Indies  there  is  indefinite  wealth  waiting  to  be 


90 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


developed  by  intelligence  and  capital ; and  men  with  such 
resources,  both  English  and  American,  might  be  tempted  still 
to  settle  there,  and  lead  the  blacks  along  with  them  into  more 
settled  manners  and  higher  forms  of  civilisation.  But  the 
future  of  the  blacks,  and  our  own  influence  over  them  for 
good,  depend  on  their  being  protected  from  themselves  and 
from  the  schemers  who  would  take  advantage  of  them.  How- 
ever little  may  be  the  share  to  which  the  mass  of  a population 
be  admitted  in  the  government  of  their  country,  they  are 
never  found  hard  to  manage  where  they  prosper  and  are 
justly  dealt  with.  The  children  of  darkness  are  even  easier 
of  control  than  the  children  of  light.  Under  an  administra- 
tion formed  on  the  model  of  that  of  our  Eastern  Empire 
these  islands  would  be  peopled  in  a generation  or  two  with 
dusky  citizens,  as  proud  as  the  rest  of  us  of  the  flag  under 
which  they  will  have  thriven,  and  as  willing  to  defend  it 
against  any  invading  enemy  as  they  ai’e  now  unquestionably 
indifferent.  Partially  elected  councils,  local  elected  boards, 
&c.,  serve  only  as  contrivances  to  foster  discontent  and  en- 
courage jobbery.  They  open  a rift  which  time  will  widen, 
and  which  will  create  for  us,  on  a smaller  scale,  the  condi- 
tions which  have  so  troubled  us  in  Ireland,  where  each  con- 
cession of  popular  demands  makes  the  maintenance  of  the 
connection  more  difficult.  In  the  Pacific  colonies  self-govern- 
ment is  a natural  right ; the  colonists  are  part  of  ourselves, 
and  have  as  complete  a claim  to  the  management  of  their  own 
affairs  as  we  have  to  the  management  of  ours.  The  less  we 
interfere  with  them  the  more  heartily  they  identify  themselves 
with  us.  But  if  we  choose  besides  to  indulge  our  ambition 
with  an  empire,  if  we  determine  to  keep  attached  to  our  do- 
minion countries  which,  like  the  East  Indies,  have  been  con- 
quered by  the  sword,  countries,  like  the  "West  Indies,  which, 
however  acquired,  are  occupied  by  races  enormously  outnum- 
bering us,  many  of  whom  do  not  speak  our  language,  are  not 


England's  Duty. 


91 


connected  with  us  by  sentiment,  and  not  visibly  connected  by 
interest,  with  whom  our  own  people  will  not  intermarry  or 
hold  social  intercourse,  but  keep  aloof  from,  as  superior  from 
inferior — to  impose  on  such  countries  forms  of  self-govern- 
ment at  which  we  have  ourselves  but  lately  arrived,  to  put  it 
in  the  power  of  these  overwhelming  numbers  to  shake  us  off 
if  they  please,  and  to  assume  that  when  our  real  motive  has 
been  only  to  save  ourselves  trouble  they  will  be  warmed  into 
active  loyalty  by  gratitude  for  the  confidence  which  we  pre- 
tend to  place  in  them,  is  to  try  an  experiment  which  we  have 
not  the  slightest  right  to  expect  to  be  successful,  and  which 
if  it  fails  is  fatal. 

Once  more,  if  we  mean  to  keep  the  blacks  as  British  sub- 
jects, we  are  bound  to  govern  them,  and  to  govern  them  well. 
If  we  cannot  do  it,  we  had  better  let  them  go  altogether. 
And  here  is  the  real  difficulty.  It  is  not  that  men  competent 
for  such  a task  cannot  be  found.  Among  the  public  servants 
of  Great  Britain  there  are  persons  always  to  be  found  fit  and 
willing  for  posts  of  honour  and  difficulty  if  a sincere  effort 
be  made  to  find  them.  Alas ! in  times  past  we  have  sent  per- 
sons to  rule  our  Baratarias  to  whom  Sancho  Panza  was  a sage 
— troublesome  members  of  Parliament,  younger  brothers  of 
powerful  families,  impecunious  peers  ; favourites,  with  back- 
stairs influence,  for  whom  a provision  was  to  be  found  ; colo- 
nial clerks,  bred  in  the  office,  who  had  been  obsequious  and 
useful. 

One  had  hoped  that  in  the  new  zeal  for  the  colonial  con- 
nection such  appointments  would  have  become  impossible 
for  the  future,  yet  a recent  incident  at  the  Mauritius  has 
proved  that  the  colonial  authorities  are  still  unregenerate. 
The  unfit  are  still  maintained  in  their  places  ; and  then,  to 
prevent  the  colonies  from  suffering  too  severely  under  their 
incapacity,  we  set  up  the  local  councils,  nominated  or  elected, 
to  do  the  work,  while  the  Queen’s  representative  enjoys  his 


92 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


salary.  Instances  of  glaring  impropriety  like  that  to  which 
I have  alluded  are  of  course  rare,  and  among  colonial  govern- 
ors there  are  men  of  quality  so  high  that  we  would  desire 
only  to  see  their  power  equal  to  it.  But  so  limited  is  the 
patronage,  on  the  other  hand,  which  remains  to  the  home  ad- 
ministration, and  so  heavy  the  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon 
them,  that  there  are  persons  also  in  these  situations  of  whom 
it  may  be  said  that  the  less  they  do,  and  the  less  they  are  en- 
abled to  do,  the  better  for  the  colony  over  which  they  pre- 
side. 

The  West  Indies  have  been  sufferers  from  another  cause. 
In  the  absence  of  other  use  for  them  they  have  been  made  to 
serve  as  places  where  governors  try  their  ’prentice  hand  and 
learn  their  business  before  promotion  to  more  important  sit- 
uations. Whether  a man  has  done  well  or  done  ill  makes,  it 
seems,  very  little  difference  unless  he  has  offended  prejudices 
or  interests  at  home  : once  in  the  service  he  acquires  a vested 
right  to  continue  in  it.  A governor  who  had  been  suspended 
for  conduct  which  is  not  denied  to  have  been  most  improper, 
is  replaced  with  the  explanation  that  if  he  was  not  sent  back 
to  his  old  post  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  provide  a sit- 
uation for  him  elsewhere.  Why  would  it  ? Has  a captain  of 
a man-of-war  whose  ship  is  taken  from  him  for  misconduct 
an  immediate  claim  to  have  another  ? Unfortunate  colonies  ! 
It  is  not  their  interest  which  is  considered  under  this  system. 
But  the  subject  is  so  delicate  that  I must  say  no  more  about 
it.  I will  recommend  only  to  the  attention  of  the  British 
democracy,  who  are  now  the  parties  that  in  the  last  instance 
are  responsible,  because  they  are  the  real  masters  of  the  Em- 
pire, the  following  apologue. 

In  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Nicholas  the  censor's  of  the 
press  seized  a volume  which  had  been  published  by  the  poet 
Kriloff,  on  the  ground  that  it  contained  treasonable  matter. 
Nicholas  sent  for  Kriloff.  The  censor  produced  the  incrim- 


Colonial  Governors. 


93 


inated  passage,  and  Kriloff  was  made  to  read  it  aloud.  It 
was  a fable.  A governor  of  a Russian  province  was  repre- 
sented as  arriving  in  the  other  world,  and  as  being  brought 
up  before  Rhadamanthus.  He  was  accused,  not  of  any 
crime,  but  of  having  been  simply  a nonentity— of  having  re- 
ceived his  salary  and  spent  it,  and  nothing  more.  Rhada- 
manthus listened,  and  when  the  accusing  angel  had  done 
sentenced  the  prisoner  into  Paradise.  * Into  Paradise  ! ’ said 
the  angel,  ‘why,  he  has  done  nothing!’  ‘True,’  said  Rhad- 
amanthus, ‘ but  how  would  it  have  been  if  he  had  done  any- 
thing ? ’ 

‘ Write  away,  old  fellow,’  said  Nicholas  to  Kriloff. 

Has  it  never  happened  that  British  colonial  officials  who 
have  similarly  done  nothing  have  been  sent  into  the  Paradise 
of  promotion  because  they  have  kept  things  smooth  and  have 
given  no  trouble  to  their  employers  at  home. 

In  the  evening  of  the  day  of  the  political  meeting  we  dined 
at  Government  House.  There  was  a large  representative 
party,  English,  French,  Spaniards,  Corsicans — ladies  and 
gentlemen  each  speaking  his  or  her  own  language.  There 
were  the  mayors  of  the  two  chief  towns  of  Trinidad— Port  of 
Spain  and  San  Fernando — both  enthusiastic  for  a constitu- 
tion. The  latter  was  my  neighbour  at  dinner,  and  insisted 
much  on  the  fine  qualities  of  the  leading  persons  in  the  isl- 
and and  the  splendid  things  to  be  expected  when  responsible 
government  should  be  conceded.  The  training  squadron  had 
arrived  from  Barbadoes,  and  the  commodore  and  two  or  three 
officers  were  present  in  their  uniforms.  There  was  interest- 
ing talk  about  Trinidad’s  troublesome  neighbour,  Guzman 
Blanco,  the  President  of  Venezuela.  It  seems  that  Sir  Wal- 
ter Raleigh’s  Eldorado  has  turned  out  to  be  a fact  after  all. 
On  the  higher  waters  of  the  Orinoko  actual  gold  mines  do 
exist,  and  the  discovery  has  quickened  into  life  a long  un- 
settled dispute  about  boundaries  between  British  Guiana  and 


94 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


the  republic.  Don  Guzman  has  been  encroaching,  so  it  was 
alleged,  and  in  other  ways  had  been  offensive  and  imperti- 
nent. Ships  were  going — had  been  actually  ordered  to  La 
Guyra,  to  pull  his  nose  for  him,  and  to  tell  him  to  behave 
himself.  The  time  is  past  when  we  flew  our  hawks  at  game 
birds.  The  opinion  of  most  of  the  party  was  that  Don  Guz- 
man knew  it,  and  that  his  nose  would  not  be  pulled.  He 
would  regard  our  frigates  as  picturesque  ornaments  to  his 
harbour,  give  the  officers  in  command  the  politest  reception, 
evade  their  demands,  offer  good  words  in  plenty,  and  nothing 
else  but  words,  and  in  the  end  would  have  the  benefit  of  our 
indifference. 1 

In  the  late  evening  we  had  music.  Our  host  sang  well,  our 
hostess  was  an  accomplished  artist.  They  had  duets  to- 
gether, Italian  and  English,  and  the  lady  then  sang  ‘The 
Three  Fishers,’  Kingsley  being  looked  on  as  the  personal 
property  of  Trinidad  and  as  one  of  themselves.  She  sang  it 
very  well,  as  well  as  any  one  could  do  who  had  no  direct  ac- 
quaintance with  an  English  sea-coast  people.  Her  voice  was 
beautiful,  and  she  showed  genuine  feeling.  The  silence  when 
she  ended  was  more  complimentary  than  the  loudest  ap- 
plause. It  was  broken  by  a stupid  member  of  council,  who 
said  to  me,  * Is  it  not  strange  that  a poet  with  such  a gift  of 
words  as  Mr.  Kingsley  should  have  ended  that  song  with  so 
weak  a line  ? “The  sooner  it’s  over  the  sooner  to  sleep  ” is 
nothing  but  prose.’  He  did  not  see  that  the  fault  which  he 
thought  he  had  discovered  is  no  more  than  the  intentional 
* dying  away  ’ of  the  emotion  created  by  the  story  in  the  com- 
mon lot  of  poor  humanity.  We  drove  back  across  the  savan- 
nah in  a blaze  of  fireflies.  It  is  not  till  midnight  that  they 
put  their  lights  out  and  go  to  sleep  with  the  rest  of  the  world. 

One  duty  remained  to  me  before  I left  the  island.  The 

1 A squadron  did  go  while  I was  in  the  West  Indies.  I have  not 
heard  that  any  other  result  came  of  it. 


Charles  Warner. 


95 


Warners  are  among  the  oldest  of  West  Indian  families,  dis- 
tinguished through  many  generations,  not  the  least  in  their 
then  hying  chief  and  representative,  Charles  Warner,  who  in 
the  highest  ministerial  offices  had  steered  Trinidad  through 
the  trying  times  which  followed  the  abolition  of  slavery.  I 
had  myself  in  early  life  been  brought  into  relations  with  other 
members  of  his  family.  He  himself  was  a very  old  man  on 
the  edge  of  the  grave;  but  hearing  that  I was  in  Port  of 
Spain,  he  had  expressed  a wish  to  see  me.  I found  him  in 
his  drawing  room,  shrunk  in  stature,  pale,  bent  double  by 
weight  of  years,  and  but  feebly  able  to  lift  his  head  to  speak. 
I thought,  and  I judged  rightly,  that  he  could  have  but  a 
few  weeks,  perhaps  but  a few  days,  to  live. 

There  is  something  peculiarly  solemn  in  being  brought  to 
speak  with  a supremely  eminent  man,  who  is  already  strug- 
gling with  the  moment  which  is  to  launch  him  into  a new 
existence.  He  raised  himself  in  his  chair.  He  gave  me  his 
withered  hand.  His  eyes  still  gleamed  with  the  light  of  an 
untouched  intelligence.  All  else  of  him  seemed  dead.  The 
soul,  untouched  by  the  decay  of  the  frame  which  had  been 
its  earthly  tenement,  burnt  bright  as  ever  on  the  edge  of  its 
release. 

When  words  are  scarce  they  are  seldom  spent  in  vain, 

And  they  breathe  truth  who  breathe  their  words  in  pain. 

He  roused  himself  to  talk,  and  he  talked  sadly,  for  all 
things  at  home  and  everywhere  were  travelling  on  the  road 
which  he  well  knew  could  lead  to  no  good  end.  No  states- 
man had  done  better  practical  work  than  he,  or  work  which 
had  borne  better  fruit,  could  it  be  allowed  to  ripen.  But 
for  him  Trinidad  would  have  been  a wilderness,  savage  as 
when  Columbus  found  the  Caribs  there.  He  belonged  to 
the  race  who  make  empires,  as  the  orators  lose  them,  who  do 
things  and  do  not  talk  about  them,  who  build  and  do  not 


96 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


cast  down,  who  reverence  ancient  habits  and  institutions  as 
the  organic  functions  of  corporate  national  character ; a 
Tory  of  the  Tories,  who  nevertheless  recognised  that  Tory- 
ism itself  was  passing  away  under  the  universal  solvent,  and 
had  ceased  to  be  a faith  which  could  be  believed  in  as  a 
guide  to  conduct. 

He  no  more  than  any  one  could  tell  what  it  was  now  wisest 
or  even  possible  to  do.  He  spoke  like  some  ancient  seer, 
whose  eyes  looked  beyond  the  present  time  and  the  present 
world,  and  saw  politics  and  progress  and  the  wild  whirlwind 
of  change  as  the  play  of  atoms  dancing  to  and  fro  in  the  sun- 
beams of  eternity.  Yet  he  wished  well  to  our  poor  earth, 
and  to  us  who  were  still  struggling  upon  it.  He  was  sorry 
for  the  courses  on  which  he  saw  mankind  to  be  travelling. 
Spite  of  all  the  newspapers  and  the  blowing  of  the  trumpets, 
he  well  understood  whither  all  that  was  tending.  He  spoke 
with  horror  and  even  loathing  of  the  sinister  leader  who  was 
drawing  England  into  the  fatal  whirlpool.  He  could  still 
hope,  for  he  knew  the  power  of  the  race.  He  knew  that  the 
English  heart  was  unaffected,  that  we  were  suffering  only 
from  delirium  of  the  brain.  The  day  would  yet  come,  he 
thought,  when  we  should  struggle  back  into  sanity  again 
with  such  wreck  of  our  past  greatness  as  might  still  be  left 
to  us,  torn  and  shattered,  but  clothed  and  in  our  right  mind, 
and  cured  for  centuries  of  our  illusions. 

My  forebodings  of  the  nearness  of  the  end  were  too  well 
founded.  A month  later  I heard  that  Charles  Warmer  was 
dead.  To  have  seen  and  spoken  with  such  a man  was  worth 
a voyage  round  the  globe. 

On  the  prospects  of  Trinidad  I have  a few  more  words  to 
add.  The  tendency  of  the  island  is  to  become  what  Grenada 
has  become  already — a community  of  negro  freeholders, 
each  living  on  his  own  homestead,  and  raising  or  gathering 
off  the  ground  what  his  own  family  will  consume.  They 


Future  of  the  Island. 


97 


will  multiply,  for  there  is  ample  room.  Three  quarters  of 
the  soil  are  still  unoccupied.  The  140,000  blacks  will  rap- 
idly grow  into  a half-million,  and  the  half-million,  as  long 
as  we  are  on  the  spot  to  keep  the  peace,  will  speedily  double 
itself  again.  The  English  inhabitants  will  and  must  be 
crowded  out.  The  geographical  advantages  of  the  Gulf  of 
Paria  will  secure  a certain  amount  of  trade.  There  will  be 
merchants  and  bankers  in  the  town  as  floating  passage  birds, 
and  there  will  be  mulatto  lawyers  and  shopkeepers  and  news- 
paper writers.  But  the  blacks  hate  the  mulattoes,  and  the 
mulatto  breed  will  not  maintain  itself,  as  with  the  indepen- 
dence of  the  blacks  the  intimacy  between  blacks  and  whites 
diminishes  and  must  diminish.  The  English  peasant  immi- 
gration which  enthusiasts  have  believed  in  is  a dream,  a 
dream  which  passed  through  the  ivory  gate,  a dream  which 
will  never  turn  to  a waking  reality  ; and  unless  under  the 
Indian  system,  which  our  rulers  will  never  try  unless  the 
democracy  orders  them  to  adopt  it,  the  English  interest  will 
come  to  an  end. 

The  English  have  proved  in  India  that  they  can  play  a 
great  and  useful  part  as  rulers  over  recognised  inferiors. 
Even  in  the  West  Indies  the  planters  were  a real  something. 
Like  the  English  in  Ireland,  they  produced  a remarkable 
breed  of  men : the  Codringtons,  the  Warners,  and  many 
illustrious  names  besides.  They  governed  chiefly  on  their 
own  resources,  and  the  islands  under  their  rule  were  so 
profitable  that  we  fought  for  them  as  if  our  Empire  was  at 
stake.  All  that  is  gone.  The  days  of  ruling  races  are  sup- 
posed to  be  numbered.  Trade  drifts  away  to  the  nearest 
market — to  New  York  or  New  Orleans — and  in  a money 
point  of  view  the  value  of  such  possessions  as  Trinidad  will 
soon  be  less  than  nothing  to  us. 

As  long  as  the  present  system  holds,  there  will  be  an  ap- 
preciable addition  to  the  sum  of  human  (coloured  human) 
7 


98  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

happiness.  Lighter-hearted  creatures  do  not  exist  on  the 
globe.  But  the  continuance  of  it  depends  on  the  continu- 
ance of  the  English  rule.  The  peace  and  order  which  they 
benefit  by  is  not  of  their  own  creation.  In  spite  of  schools 
and  missionaries,  the  dark  connection  still  maintains  itself 
with  Satan’s  invisible  world,  and  modern  education  contends 
in  vain  with  Obeah  worship.  As  it  has  been  in  Hayti,  so  it 
must  be  in  Trinidad  if  the  English  leave  the  blacks  to  be 
their  own  masters. 

Scene  after  scene  passes  by  on  the  magic  slide.  The  man- 
eating  Caribs  first,  then  Columbus  and  his  Spaniards,  the 
French  conquest,  the  English  occupation,  but  they  have  left 
behind  them  no  self-quickening  seed  of  healthy  civilisation, 
and  the  prospe  :t  darkens  once  more.  It  is  a pity,  for  there 
is  no  real  necessity  that  it  should  darken.  The  West  Indian 
negro  is  conscious  of  his  own  defects,  and  responds  more 
wihingly  than  most  to  a guiding  hand.  He  is  faithful  and 
affectionate  to  those  who  are  just  and  kind  to  him,  and  with 
a century  or  two  of  wise  administration  he  might  prove  that 
his  inferiority  is  not  inherent,  and  that  with  the  same  chances 
as  the  white  he  may  rise  to  the  same  level.  I cannot  part 
with  the  hope  that  the  English  people  may  yet  insist  that 
the  chance  shall  not  be  denied  to  him,  and  that  they  may  yet 
give  their  officials  to  understand  that  they  must  not,  shall 
not,  shake  off  their  responsibilities  for  this  unfortunate  peo- 
ple, by  flinging  them  back  upon  themselves  ‘ to  manage  their 
own  affairs,’  now  that  we  have  no  further  use  for  them. 

I was  told  that  the  keener-witted  Trinidad  blacks  are  watch- 
ing as  eagerly  as  we  do  the  development  of  the  Irish  problem. 
They  see  the  identity  of  the  situation.  They  see  that  if  the 
Badical  view  prevails,  and  in  every  country  the  majority  are 
to  rule,  Trinidad  will  be  theirs  and  the  government  of  the 
English  will  be  at  an  end.  I,  for  myself,  look  upon  Trinidad 
and  the  West  Indies  generally  as  an  opportunity  for  the 


British  Dominion. 


99 


further  extension  of  the  influence  of  the  English  race  in  their 
special  capacity  of  leaders  and  governors  of  men.  We  can- 
not with  honour  divest  ourselves  of  our  responsibility  for  the 
blacks,  or  after  the  eloquence  we  have  poured  out  and  the 
self-laudation  which  we  have  allowed  ourselves  for  the  sup- 
pression of  slavery,  leave  them  now  to  relapse  into  a state 
from  which  slavery  itself  was  the  first  step  of  emancipation. 
Our  world-wide  dominion  will  not  be  of  any  long  endurance 
if  we  consider  that  we  have  discharged  our  full  duty  to  our 
fellow-subjects  when  we  have  set  them  free  to  follow  their 
own  devices.  If  that  is  to  be  all,  the  sooner  it  vanishes  into 
history  the  better  for  us  and  for  the  world. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Barbadoes  again — Social  condition  of  tlie  island — Political  constitution 
— Effects  of  the  sugar  bounties — Dangers  of  general  bankruptcy — 
The  Hall  of  Assembly — Sir  Charles  Pearson — Society  in  Bridge- 
town— A morning  drive — Church  of  St.  John’s — Sir  Graham  Briggs 
—An  old  planter’s  palace — The  Chief  Justice  of  Barbadoes. 

Again  at  sea,  and  on  the  way  back  to  Barbadoes.  The 
commodore  of  the  training  squadron  had  offered  me  a berth 
to  St.  Vincent,  but  he  intended  to  work  up  under  sail  against 
the  north-east  trade,  which  had  risen  to  half  a gale,  and  I 
preferred  the  security  and  speed  of  the  mail  boat.  Among 

the  passengers  was  Miss , the  lady  whom  I had  seen 

sketching  on  the  way  to  the  Blue  Basin.  She  showed  me 
her  drawings,  which  were  excellent.  She  showed  me  in  her 
mosquito-bitten  arms  what  she  had  endured  to  make  them, 
and  I admired  her  fortitude.  She  was  English,  and  was  on 
her  way  to  join  her  father  at  Codrington  College. 

We  had  a wild  night,  but  those  long  vessels  care  little  for 
winds  and  waves.  By  morning  we  had  fought  our  way  back 
to  Grenada.  In  the  St.  Vincent  roadstead,  which  we  reached 
the  same  day,  the  ship  was  stormed  by  boatloads  of  people 
who  were  to  go  on  with  us  ; boys  on  their  way  to  school  at 
Barbadoes,  ladies  young  and  old,  white,  black,  and  mixed, 
who  were  bound  I know  not  where.  The  night  fell  dark  as 
pitch,  the  storm  continued,  and  we  were  no  sooner  beyond 

the  shelter  of  the  land  than  every  one  of  them  save  Miss 

and  myself  was  prostrate.  The  vessel  ploughed  on  upon  her 
way  indifferent  to  us  and  to  them.  We  were  at  Bridgetown 


Negroes  in  Barbadoes. 


101 


by  breakfast  time,  and  I was  now  to  have  an  opportunity  of 
studying  more  at  leisure  the  earliest  of  our  West  Indian 
colonies. 

Barbadoes  is  as  unlike  in  appearance  as  it  is  in  social  con- 
dition to  Trinidad  or  the  Antilles.  There  are  no  mountains 
in  it,  no  forests,  no  rivers,  and  as  yet  no  small  freeholders. 
The  blacks,  who  number  nearly  200,000  in  an  island  not  larger 
than  the  Isle  of  Wight,  are  labourers,  working  for  wages  on 
the  estates  of  large  proprietors.  Land  of  their  own  they 
have  none,  for  there  is  none  for  them.  Work  they  must,  for 
they  cannot  live  otherwise.  Thus  every  square  yard  of  soil 
is  cultivated,  and  turn  your  eyes  where  you  will  you  see 
houses,  sugar  canes,  and  sweet  potatoes.  Two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  of  occupation  have  imprinted  strongly  an  English 
character ; parish  churches  solid  and  respectable,  the  English 
language,  the  English  police  and  parochial  system.  However 
it  may  be  in  the  other  islands,  England  in  Barbadoes  is  still 
a solid  fact.  The  headquarters  of  the  West  Indian  troops  are 
there.  There  is  a commander-in-chief  residing  in  a ‘ Queen’s 
House,’  so  called.  There  is  a savannah  where  there  are  Eng- 
lish barracks  under  avenues  of  almond  and  mahogany.  Bed 
coats  are  scattered  about  the  grass.  Officers  canter  about 
playing  polo,  and  naval  and  military  uniforms  glitter  at  the 
side  of  carriages,  and  horsemen  and  horsewomen  take  their 
evening  rides,  as  well  mounted  and  as  well  dressed  as  you 
can  see  in  Rotten  Row.  Barbadoes  is  thus  in  pleasing  con- 
trast with  the  conquered  islands  which  we  have  not  taken  the 
trouble  to  assimilate.  In  them  remain  the  wrecks  of  the 
French  civilisation  which  we  superseded,  but  we  have  planted 
nothing  of  our  own.  Barbadoes,  the  European  aspect  of  it  at 
any  rate,  is  English  throughout. 

The  harbour  when  we  arrived  was  even  more  brilliant  than 
we  had  left  it  a fortnight  before.  The  training  squadron  had 
gone,  but  in  the  place  of  it  the  West  Indian  fleet  was  there, 


102  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

and  there  were  also  three  American  frigates,  old  wooden  ves- 
sels out  merely  on  a cruise,  but  heavily  sparred,  smart  and 
well  set  up,  with  the  stars  and  stripes  floating  carelessly  at 
their  sterns,  as  if  in  these  western  seas,  be  the  nominal  domin- 
ion British,  French,  or  Spanish,  the  American  has  a voice 
also  and  intends  to  be  heard. 

We  had  no  sooner  anchored  than  a well-appointed  boat 
was  alongside  with  an  awning  and  an  ensign  at  the  stern. 

Colonel , the  chief  of  the  police,  to  whom  it  belonged, 

came  on  board  in  search  of  Miss , who  was  to  be  his 

guest  in  Bridgetown.  She  introduced  me  to  him.  He  in- 
sisted on  my  accompanying  him  home  to  breakfast,  and,  as 
he  was  a person  in  authority,  I had  nothing  to  do  but  obey. 

Colonel , to  whose  politeness  then  and  afterwards  I was 

in  many  ways  indebted,  had  seen  life  in  various  forms.  He 
had  been  in  the  navy.  He  had  been  in  the  army.  He  had 
been  called  to  the  bar.  He  was  now  the  head  of  the  Bar- 
badoes  police,  with  this  anomalous  addition  to  his  other  du- 
ties, that  in  default  of  a chaplain  he  read  the  Church  service 
on  Sundays  in  the  barracks.  He  had  even  a license  from  the 
bishop  to  preach  sermons,  and  being  a man  of  fine  character 
and  original  sense  he  discharged  this  last  function,  I was  told, 
remarkably  well.  His  house  was  in  the  heart  of  the  town, 
but  shaded  with  tropical  trees.  The  rooms  were  protected 
by  deep  outside  galleries,  which  were  overrun  with  Bougain- 
villier  creepers.  He  was  himself  the  kindest  of  entertainers, 
his  Irish  lady  the  kindest  of  hostesses,  with  the  humorous 
high  breeding  of  the  old  Sligo  aristocracy,  to  whom  she  be- 
longed. I found  that  I had  been  acquainted  with  some  of 
her  kindred  there  long  ago,  in  the  days  when  the  Anglo-Irish 
rule  had  not  been  discovered  to  be  a upas  tree,  and  cultivated 
human  life  was  still  possible  in  Connaught.  Of  the  break- 
fast, which  consisted  of  all  the  West  Indian  dainties  I had 
ever  heard  or  read  of,  I can  say  nothing,  nor  of  the  pleasant 


103 


The  Constitution  of  Barbadoes. 

talk  which  followed.  I was  to  see  more  of  Colonel , for 

he  offered  to  drive  me  some  day  across  the  island,  a promise 
which  he  punctually  fulfilled.  My  stay  with  him  for  the 
present  could  be  but  brief,  as  I was  expected  at  Government 
House. 

I have  met  with  exceptional  hospitality  from  the  govern- 
ors of  British  colonies  in  many  parts  of  the  world.  They 
are  not  chosen  like  the  Roman  proconsuls  from  the  ranks  of 
trained  statesmen  who  have  held  high  administrative  offices 
at  home.  They  are  appointed,  as  I said  just  now,  from  vari- 
ous motives,  sometimes  with  a careful  regard  to  fitness  for 
their  post,  sometimes  with  a regard  merely  to  routine  or 
convenience  or  to  personal  influence  brought  to  bear  in  their 
favour.  I have  myself  seen  some  for  whom  I should  have 
thought  other  employment  would  have  been  more  suitable  ; 
but  always  and  everywhere  those  that  I have  fallen  in  with 
have  been  men  of  honour  and  integrity  above  reproach  or  sus- 
picion, and  I have  met  with  one  or  two  gentlemen  in  these 
situations  whose  admirable  qualities  it  is  impossible  to  praise 
too  highly,  who  in  their  complicated  responsibilities— respon- 
sibilities to  the  colonies  and  responsibilities  to  the  authorities 
at  home — have  considered  conscience  and  duty  to  be  their 
safest  guides,  have  cared  only  to  do  what  they  believed  to  be 
right  to  the  best  of  their  ability,  and  have  left  their  interests 
to  take  care  of  themselves. 

The  Governor  of  Barbadoes  is  not  despotic.  He  controls 
the  administration,  but  there  is  a constitution  as  old  as  the 
Stuarts  ; an  Assembly  of  thirty-three  members,  nine  of  whom 
the  Grown  nominates,  the  rest  are  elected.  The  friction  is 
not  so  violent  as  when  the  number  of  the  nominated  and 
elected  members  is  equal,  and  as  long  as  a property  qualifica- 
tion was  required  for  the  franchise,  the  system  may  have 
worked  tolerably  without  producing  any  violent  mischief. 
There  have  been  recent  modifications,  however,  pointing  in 


104  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

the  same  direction  as  those  which  have  been  made  in  Jamaica. 
By  an  ordinance  from  home  the  suffrage  has  been  widely  ex- 
tended, obviously  as  a step  to  larger  intended  changes. 

Under  such  conditions  and  with  an  uncertain  future  a gov- 
ernor can  do  little  save  lead  and  influence,  entertain  visitors, 
discharge  the  necessary  courtesies  to  all  classes  of  liis  subjects, 
and  keep  his  eyes  open.  These  duties  at  least  Sir  Charles 
Lees  discharges  to  perfection,  the  entertaining  part  of  them 
on  a scale  so  liberal  that  if  Pc  re  Labat  came  back  he  would 
suppose  that  the  two  hundred  years  which  have  gone  by  since 
his  visit  was  a dream,  and  that  Government  House  at  least 
was  still  as  he  left  it.  In  an  establishment  wThich  had  so 
many  demands  upon  it,  and  where  so  many  visitors  of  all 
kinds  were  going  and  coming,  I had  no  claim  to  be  admitted. 
I felt  that  I should  be  an  intruder,  and  had  I been  allowed 
would  have  taken  myself  elsewhere,  but  Sir  Charles’s  peremp- 
tory generosity  admitted  of  no  refusal.  As  a subject  I was 
bound  to  submit  to  the  Queen’s  representative.  I cannot  say 
I was  sorry  to  be  compelled.  In  Government  House  I should 
see  and  hear  what  I could  neither  have  seen  nor  heard  else- 
where. I should  meet  people  who  could  tell  me  what  I most 
wanted  to  know.  I had  understood  already  that  owing  to 
the  sugar  depression  the  state  of  the  island  was  critical.  Of- 
ficials were  alarmed.  Bankers  were  alarmed.  No  one  could 
see  beyond  the  next  year  what  was  likely  to  happen.  Sir 
Charles  himself  would  have  most  to  say.  He  was  evidently 
anxious.  Perhaps  if  he  had  a fault,  he  was  over  anxious; 
but  with  the  possibility  of  social  confusion  before  him,  with 
nearly  200,000  peasant  subjects,  who  in  a few  months  might 
be  out  of  work  and  so  out  of  food,  with  the  inflammable 
negro  nature,  and  a suspicious  and  easily  excited  public 
opinion  at  home,  the  position  of  a Governor  of  Barbadoes  is 
not  an  enviable  one.  The  Government  at  home,  no  doubt 
with  the  best  intentions,  has  aggravated  any  peril  which  there 


Social  Condition. 


105 


may  be  by  enlarging  the  suffrage.  The  experience  of  Gov- 
ernor Eyre  in  Jamaica  has  taught  the  danger  of  being  too  ac- 
tive, but  to  be  too  inactive  may  be  dangerous  also.  If  there 
is  a stir  again  in  any  part  of  these  islands,  and  violence  and 
massacre  come  of  it,  as  it  came  in  St.  Domingo,  the  respon- 
sibility is  with  the  governor,  and  the  account  will  be  strictly 
exacted  of  him. 

I must  describe  more  particularly  the  reasons  which  there 
are  for  uneasiness.  On  the  day  on  which  I landed  I saw  an 
article  in  a Bridgetown  paper  in  which  my  coming  there  was 
spoken  of  as  perhaps  the  last  straw  which  would  break  the 
overburdened  back.  I know  not  why  I should  be  thought 
likely  to  add  anything  to  the  load  of  Barbadian  afflictions. 
I should  be  a worse  friend  to  the  colonies  than  I have  tried 
to  be  if  I was  one  of  those  who  would  quench  the  smoking 
flax  of  loyalty  in  any  West  Indian  heart.  But  loyalty,  I very 
well  know,  is  sorely  tried  just  now.  The  position  is  painfully 
simple.  The  great  prosperity  of  the  island  ended  with  eman- 
cipation. Barbadoes  suffered  less  than  Jamaica  or  the  An- 
tilles because  the  population  was  large  and  the  land  limited, 
and  the  blacks  were  obliged  to  work  to  keep  themselves  alive. 
The  abolition  of  the  sugar  duties  was  the  next  blow.  The 
price  of  sugar  fell,  and  the  estates  yielded  little  more  than 
the  expense  of  cultivation.  Owners  of  properties  who  were 
their  own  managers,  and  had  sense  and  energy,  continued  to 
keep  themselves  afloat ; but  absenteeism  had  become  the 
fashion.  The  brilliant  society  which  is  described  by  Labat 
had  been  melting  for  more  than  a century.  More  and  more 
the  old  West  Indian  families  removed  to  England,  farmed 
their  lands  through  agents  and  overseers,  or  sold  them  to 
speculating  capitalists.  The  personal  influence  of  the  white 
man  over  the  black,  which  might  have  been  brought  about 
by  a friendly  intercourse  after  slavery  was  abolished,  was 
never  so  much  as  attempted.  The  higher  class  of  gentry 


106  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

found  the  colony  more  and  more  distasteful  to  them,  and 
they  left  the  arrangement  of  the  labour  question  to  persons 
to  whom  the  blacks  were  nothing,  emancipated  though  they 
might  be,  except  instruments  of  production.  A negro  can 
be  attached  to  his  employer  at  least  as  easily  as  a horse  or  a 
dog.  The  horse  or  dog  requires  kind  treatment,  or  he  be- 
comes indifferent  or  sullen  ; so  it  is  with  the  negro.  But  the 
forced  equality  of  the  races  before  the  law  made  more  diffi- 
cult the  growth  of  any  kindly  feeling.  To  the  overseer  on  a 
plantation  the  black  labourer  was  a machine  out  of  which 
the  problem  was  to  get  the  maximum  of  work  with  the  mini- 
mum of  pay.  In  the  slavery  times  the  horse  and  dog  rela- 
tion was  a real  thing.  The  master  and  mistress  joked  and 
laughed  with  their  dark  bondsmen,  knew  Caesar  from  Pompey, 
knew  how  many  children  each  had,  gave  them  small  presents, 
cared  for  them  when  they  were  sick,  and  maintained  them 
when  they  were  old  and  past  work.  All  this  ended  with 
emancipation.  Between  whites  and  blacks  no  relations  re- 
mained save  that  of  employer  and  employed.  They  lived 
apart.  They  had  no  longer,  save  in  exceptional  instances, 
any  personal  communication  with  each  other.  The  law  re- 
fusing to  recognise  a difference,  the  social  line  was  drawn  the 
harder,  which  the  law  was  unable  to  reach. 

In  the  Antilles,  the  plantations  broke  up  as  I had  seen  in 
Grenada.  The  whites  went  away,  and  the  land  was  divided 
among  the  negroes.  In  Barbadoes,  the  estates  were  kept  to- 
gether. The  English  character  and  the  English  habits  were 
printed  deeper  there,  and  were  not  so  easily  obliterated. 
But  the  stars  in  their  courses  have  fought  against  the  old 
system.  Once  the  West  Indies  had  a monopoly  of  the  sugar 
trade.  Steam  and  progress  have  given  them  a hundred  nat- 
ural competitors  ; and  on  the  back  of  these  came  the  unnat- 
ural bounty-fed  beetroot  sugar  competition.  Meanwhile  the 
expense  of  living  increased  in  the  days  of  inflated  hope  and 


107 


Dangers  of  Bankruptcy. 

‘unexampled  prosperity.’  Free  trade,  whatever  its  imme- 
diate consequences,  was  to  make  every  one  rich  in  the  end. 
When  the  income  of  an  estate  fell  short  one  year,  it  was  to 
rise  in  the  next,  and  money  was  borrowed  to  make  ends  meet ; 
when  it  didn’t  rise,  more  money  was  borrowed  ; and  there  is 
now  hardly  a property  in  the  island  which  is  not  loaded  to 
the  sinking  point.  Tied  to  sugar-growing,  Barbadoes  has  no 
second  industry  to  fall  back  upon.  The  blacks,  who  are  heed- 
less and  light-hearted,  increase  and  multiply.  They  will  not 
emigrate,  they  are  so  much  attached  to  their  homes  ; and  the 
not  distant  prospect  is  of  a general  bankruptcy,  which  will 
throw  the  land  for  the  moment  out  of  cultivation,  with  a 
hungry  unemployed  multitude  to  feed  without  means  of  feed- 
ing them,  and  to  control  without  the  personal  acquaintance 
and  influence  which  alone  can  make  control  possible. 

At  home  there  is  a general  knowledge  that  things  are  not 
going  on  well  out  there.  But,  true  to  our  own  ways  of  think- 
ing, we  regard  it  as  their  affair  and  not  as  ours.  If  cheap  sugar 
ruins  the  planters,  it  benefits  the  English  workman.  The 
planters  had  their  innings  ; it  is  now  the  consumer’s  turn. 
What  are  the  West  Indies  to  us?  On  the  map  they  appear 
to  belong  more  to  the  United  States  than  to  us.  Let  the 
United  States  take  them  and  welcome.  So  thinks,  perhaps, 
the  average  Englishman  ; and,  analogous  to  him,  the  West 
Indian  proprietor  reflects  that,  if  admitted  into  the  Union,  he 
would  have  the  benefit  of  the  American  market,  which  would 
set  him  on  his  feet  again ; and  that  the  Americans,  probably 
finding  that  they,  if  not  we,  could  make  some  profit  out  of  the 
islands,  would  be  likely  to  settle  the  black  question  for  him  in 
a more  satisfactory  manner. 

That  such  a feeling  as  this  should  exist  is  natural  and  par- 
donable ; and  it  would  have  gone  deeper  than  it  has  gone  if 
it  were  not  that  there  are  two  parties  to  every  bargain,  and 
those  in  favor  of  such  a union  have  met  hitherto  with  no  en- 


108 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


couragement.  The  Americans  are  wise  in  their  generation. 
They  looked  at  Cuba  ; they  looked  at  St.  Domingo.  They 
might  have  had  both  on  easy  terms,  but  they  tell  you  that 
their  constitution  does  not  allow  them  to  hold  dependent 
states.  What  they  annex  they  absorb,  and  they  did  not  wish 
to  absorb  another  million  and  a half  of  blacks  and  as  many 
Roman  Catholics,  having  enough  already  of  both.  Our  Eng- 
lish islands  may  be  more  tempting,  but  there  too  the  black 
cloud  hangs  thick  and  grows  yearly  thicker,  and  through 
English  indulgence  is  more  charged  with  dangerous  elements. 
Already,  they  say,  they  have  every  advantage  which  the  isl- 
ands can  give  them.  They  exercise  a general  protectorate, 
and  would  probably  interfere  if  France  or  England  were  to 
attempt  again  to  extend  their  dominions  in  that  quarter ; but 
they  prefer  to  leave  to  the  present  owners  the  responsibility 
of  managing  and  feeding  the  cow,  while  they  are  to  have  the 
milking  of  it. 

Thus  the  proposal  of  annexation,  which  has  never  gone  be- 
yond wishes  and  talk,  has  so  far  been  coldly  received  ; but 
the  Americans  did  make  their  offer  a short  time  since,  at 
which  the  drowning  Barbadians  grasped  as  at  a floating 
plank.  England  would  give  them  no  hand  to  save  them  from 
the  effects  of  the  beetroot  bounties.  The  Americans  were 
willing  to  relax  their  own  sugar  duties  to  admit  West  Indian 
sugar  duty  free,  and  give  them  the  benefit  of  their  own  high 
prices.  The  colonies  being  unable  to  make  treaties  for  them- 
selves, the  proposal  was  referred  home  and  was  rejected.  The 
Board  of  Trade  had,  no  doubt,  excellent  reasons  for  objecting 
to  an  arrangement  which  would  have  flung  our  w7hole  com- 
merce with  the  West  Indies  into  American  hands,  and  might 
have  formed  a prelude  to  a closer  attachment.  It  would  have 
been  a violation  also  of  those  free-trade  principles  which  are 
the  English  political  gospel.  Moreover,  our  attitude  towards 
our  colonies  has  changed,  too,  in  the  last  twenty  years  ; we 


109 


Effects  of  the  Sugar  Bounties. 

now  wish  to  preserve  the  attachment  of  communities  whom 
a generation  back  we  should  have  told  to  do  as  they  liked, 
and  have  bidden  them  God  speed  upon  their  way  ; and  this 
treaty  may  have  been  regarded  as  a step  toward  separation. 
But  the  unfortunate  Barbadians  found  themselves,  with  the 
harbour  in  sight,  driven  out  again  into  the  free-trade  hurri- 
cane. We  would  not  help  them  ourselves  ; we  declined  to  let 
the  Americans  help  them  ; and  help  themselves  they  could 
not.  They  dare  not  resent  our  indifference  to  their  interests, 
which,  if  they  were  stronger,  would  have  been  more  visibly 
displayed.  They  must  wait  now  for  what  the  future  will 
bring  with  as  much  composure  as  they  can  command,  but  I 
did  hear  outcries  of  impatience  to  which  it  was  unpleasant  to 
listen.  Nay,  it  was  even  suggested  as  a means  of  inducing 
the  Americans  to  forego  their  reluctance  to  take  them  into 
the  Union,  that  we  might  relinquish  such  rights  as  we  pos- 
sessed in  Canada  if  the  Americans  would  relieve  us  of  the 
West  Indies,  for  which  we  appeared  to  care  so  little. 

If  Barbadoes  is  driven  into  bankruptcy,  the  estates  will 
have  to  be  sold,  and  will  probably  be  broken  up  as  they 
have  been  in  the  Antilles.  The  first  difficulty  will  thus  be 
got  over.  But  the  change  cannot  be  carried  out  in  a day. 
If  wages  suddenly  cease,  the  negroes  will  starve,  and  will 
not  take  their  starvation  patiently.  At  the  worst,  however, 
means  will  probably  be  found  to  keep  the  land  from  falling 
out  of  cultivation.  The  Barbadians  see  their  condition  in 
the  light  of  their  grievances,  and  make  the  worst  of  it.  The 
continental  powers  may  tire  of  the  bounty  system,  or  some- 
thing else  may  happen  to  make  sugar  rise.  The  prospect  is 
not  a bright  one,  but  what  actually  happens  in  this  world  is 
generally  the  unexpected. 

As  a visit  my  stay  at  Government  House  was  made  simply 
delightful  to  me.  I remained  there  (with  interruptions)  for 
a fortnight,  and  Lady  L did  not  only  permit,  but  she  in- 


110  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

sisted  that  I should  be  as  if  in  an  hotel,  and  come  and  go  as 
I liked.  The  climate  of  Barbadoes,  so  far  as  I can  speak  of 
it,  is  as  sparkling  and  invigorating  as  champagne.  Cocktail 
may  be  wanted  in  Trinidad.  In  Barbadoes  the  air  is  all  one 
asks  for,  and  between  night  breezes  and  sea  breezes  one 
has  plenty  of  it.  Day  begins  with  daylight,  as  it  ought 
to  do.  You  have  slept  without  knowing  anything  about  it. 
There  are  no  venomous  crawling  creatures.  Cockroaches  are 
the  worst,  but  they  scuttle  out  of  the  way  so  alarmed  and 
ashamed  of  themselves  if  you  happen  to  see  them,  that  I 
never  could  bring  myself  to  hurt  one.  You  spring  out  of 
bed  as  if  the  process  of  getting  up  were  actually  pleasant. 
Well-appointed  West  Indian  houses  are  generally  provided 
with  a fresh-water  swimming  bath.  Though  cold  by  cour- 
tesy the  water  seldom  falls  below  65°,  and  you  float  luxu- 
riously upon  it  without  dread  of  chill.  The  early  coffee  fol- 
lows the  bath,  and  then  the  stroll  under  the  big  trees, 
among  strange  flowers,  or  in  the  grotto  with  the  ferns 
and  humming  birds.  If  it  were  part  of  one’s  regular  life,  I 
suppose  that  one  would  want  something  to  do.  Sir  Charles 
was  the  most  active  of  men,  and  had  been  busy  in  his  office 
for  an  hour  before  I had  come  down  to  lounge.  But  for  my- 
self I discovered  that  it  was  possible,  at  least  for  an  interval, 
to  be  perfectly  idle  and  perfectly  happy,  surrounded  by  the 
daintiest  beauties  of  an  English  hothouse,  with  palm  trees 
waving  like  fans  to  cool  one,  and  with  sensitive  plants,  which 
are  common  as  daisies,  strewing  themselves  under  one’s  feet 
to  be  trodden  upon. 

After  breakfast  the  heat  would  be  considerable,  but  with 
an  umbrella  I could  walk  about  the  town  and  see  what  was 
to  be  seen.  Alas  ! here  one  has  something  to  desire.  Where 
P&re  Labat  saw  a display  of  splendour  which  reminded  him 
of  Paris  and  London,  you  now  find  only  stores  on  the  Ameri- 
can pattern,  for  the  most  part  American  goods,  bad  in  qual- 


Ill 


The  Hall  of  the  Assembly. 

ity  and  extravagantly  dear.  Treaty  or  no  treaty,  it  is  to 
America  that  the  trade  is  drifting,  and  we  might  as  well  con- 
cede with  a good  grace  what  must  soon  come  of  itself 
whether  we  like  it  or  not.  The  streets  are  relieved  from 
ugliness  by  the  trees  and  by  occasional  handsome  buildings. 
Often  I stood  to  admire  the  pea-green  Nelson.  Once  I went 
into  the  Assembly  where  the  legislature  was  discussing  more 
or  less  unquietly  the  prospects  of  the  island.  The  question 
of  the  hour  was  economy.  In  the  opinion  of  patriot  Bar- 
badians, sore  at  the  refusal  of  the  treaty,  the  readiest  way  to 
reduce  expenditure  was  to  diminish  the  salaries  of  officials 
from  the  governor  downwards.  The  officials,  knowing  that 
they  were  very  moderately  paid  already,  naturally  demurred. 
The  most  interesting  part  of  the  thing  to  me  was  the  hall  in 
which  the  proceedings  were  going  on.  It  is  handsome  in  it- 
self, and  has  a series  of  painted  windows  representing  the 
English  sovereigns  from  James  I.  to  Queen  Victoria.  Among 
them  in  his  proper  place  stood  Oliver  Cromwell,  the  only 
formal  recognition  of  the  great  Protector  that  I know  of  in 
any  part  of  the  English  dominions.  Barbadoes  had  been 
Cavalier  in  its  general  sympathies,  but  has  taken  an  inde- 
pendent view  of  things,  and  here  too  has  had  an  opinion  of 
its  own. 

Hospitality  was  always  a West  Indian  characteristic.  There 
were  luncheons  and  dinners,  and  distinguished  persons  to  be 
met  and  talked  to.  Among  these  I had  the  special  good  for- 
tune of  making  acquaintance  with  Sir  Charles  Pearson,  now 
commanding-in-chief  in  those  parts.  Even  in  these  days, 
crowded  as  they  are  by  small  incidents  made  large  by  news- 
papers, we  have  not  yet  forgotten  the  defence  of  a fort  in  the 
interior  of  Zululand  where  Sir  Charles  Pearson  and  his  small 
garrison  were  cut  off  from  their  communications  with  Natal. 
For  a week  or  two  he  was  the  chief  object  of  interest  in  every 
English  house.  In  obedience  to  orders  which  it  was  not  his 


112 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

business  to  question,  he  had  assisted  Sir  T.  Shepstone  in  the 
memorable  annexation  of  the  Transvaal.  He  had  seen  also 
to  what  that  annexation  led,  and,  being  a truth-speaking 
man,  he  did  not  attempt  to  conceal  the  completeness  of  our 
defeat.  Our  military  establishment  in  the  West  Indies  is  of 
modest  dimensions  ; but  a strong  English  soldier,  who  says 
little  and  does  his  duty,  and  never  told  a lie  in  his  life  or 
could  tell  one,  is  a comforting  figure  to  fall  in  with.  One 
feels  that  there  will  be  something  to  retire  upon  when  parlia- 
mentary oratory  has  finished  its  work  of  disintegration. 

The  pleasantest  incident  of  the  day  was  the  evening  drive 

with  Lady  L . She  would  take  me  out  shortly  before 

sunset,  and  bring  me  back  again  when  the  tropical  stars  were 
showing  faintly  and  the  fireflies  had  begun  to  sparkle  about 
the  bushes,  and  the  bats  were  flitting  to  and  fro  after  the 
night  moths  like  spirits  of  darkness  chasing  human  souls. 

The  neighbourhood  of  Bridgetown  has  little  natural  beau- 
ty ; but  the  roads  are  excellent,  the  savannah  picturesque 
with  riding  parties  and  polo  players  and  lounging  red  jack- 
ets, every  one  being  eager  to  pay  his  or  her  respect  to 
the  gracious  lady  of  the  Queen’s  representative.  We  called 
at  pretty  villas  where  there  would  be  evening  teas  and  lawn 
tennis  in  the  cool.  The  society  is  not  extensive,  and  here 
would  be  collected  most  of  it  that  was  worth  meeting.  At 
one  of  these  parties  I fell  in  with  the  officers  of  the  American 
squadron,  the  commodore  a very  interesting  and  courteous 
gentleman  wfliorn  I should  have  taken  for  a fellow-country- 
man. There  are  many  diamonds,  and  diamonds  of  the  first 
water,  among  the  Americans  as  among  ourselves ; but  the 

cutting  and  setting  is  different.  Commodore  D was  cut 

and  set  like  an  Englishman.  He  introduced  me  to  one  of 
his  brother  officers  who  had  been  in  Hayti.  Spite  of  Sir 
Spencer  St.  John,  spite  of  all  the  confirmatory  evidence  which 
I had  heard,  I was  still  incredulous  about  the  alleged  canni- 


113 


A Morning  Drive. 

balism  there.  To  my  inquiries  this  gentleman  had  only  the 
same  answer  to  give.  The  fact  was  beyond  question.  He 
had  himself  known  instances  of  it. 

The  commodore  had  a grievance  against  us  illustrating 
West  Indian  manners.  These  islands  are  as  nervous  about 
their  health  as  so  many  old  ladies.  The  yellow  flags  float  on 
ship  after  ship  in  the  Bridgetown  roadstead,  and  crews,  pas- 
sengers, and  cargoes  are  sternly  interdicted  from  the  land. 
Jamaica  was  in  ill  name  from  small-pox,  and,  as  Cuba  will  not 
drop  its  intercourse  with  Jamaica,  Cuba  falls  also  under  the 
ban.  The  commodore  had  directed  a case  of  cigars  from 
Havana  to  meet  him  at  Barbadoes.  They  arrived,  but  might 
not  be  transferred  from  the  steamer  which  brought  them, 
even  on  board  his  own  frigate,  lest  he  might  bring  infection 
on  shore  in  his  cigar  case.  They  went  on  to  England,  to 
reach  him  perhaps  eventually  in  New  York. 

Colonel ’s  duties,  as  chief  of  the  police,  obliged  him 

to  make  occasional  rounds  to  visit  his  stations.  He  recol- 
lected his  promise,  and  he  invited  me  one  morning  to  ac- 
company him.  We  were  to  breakfast  at  his  house  on  our 
return,  so  I anticipated  an  excursion  of  a few  miles  at  the 
utmost.  He  called  for  me  soon  after  sunrise  with  a light 
carriage  and  a brisk  pair  of  horses.  We  were  rapidly  clear 
of  the  town.  The  roads  were  better  than  the  best  I have 
seen  out  of  England,  the  only  fault  in  them  being  the  white 
coral  dust  which  dazzles  and  blinds  the  eyes.  Everywhere 
there  were  signs  of  age  and  of  long  occupation.  The  stone 
steps  leading  up  out  of  the  road  to  the  doors  of  the  houses 
had  been  worn  by  human  feet  for  hundreds  of  years.  The 
houses  themselves  were  old,  and  as  if  suffering  from  the  uni- 
versal depression — gates  broken,  gardens  disordered,  and 
woodwork  black  and  blistered  for  want  of  paint.  But  if  the 
habitations  were  neglected,  there  was  no  neglect  in  the  fields. 
Sugar  cane  alternated  with  sweet  potatoes  and  yams  and 
8 


114  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

other  strange  things  the  names  of  which  I heard  and  forgot ; 
but  there  was  not  a weed  to  be  seen  or  broken  fence  where 
fence  was  needed.  The  soil  was  clean,  every  inch  of  it,  as 
well  hoed  and  trenched  as  in  a Middlesex  market  garden. 
Salt  fish  and  flour,  which  is  the  chief  food  of  the  blacks,  is 
imported  ; but  vegetables  enough  are  raised  in  Barbadoes  to 
keep  the  cost  of  living  incredibly  low  ; and,  to  my  unin- 
structed eyes,  it  seemed  that  even  if  sugar  and  wages  did 
fail  there  could  be  no  danger  of  any  sudden  famine.  The 
people  were  thick  as  rabbits  in  a warren ; women  with 
loaded  baskets  on  their  heads  laughing  and  chirruping,  men 
driving  donkey  carts,  four  donkeys  abreast,  smoking  their 
early  pipes  as  if  they  had  not  a care  in  the  world,  as,  indeed, 
they  have  not. 

On  we  went,  the  Colonel’s  horses  stepping  out  twelve 
miles  an  hour,  and  I wondered  privately  what  was  to  become 
of  our  breakfast.  We  were  striking  right  across  the  island, 
along  the  coral  ridge  which  forms  the  backbone  of  it.  We 
found  ourselves  at  length  in  a grove  of  orange  trees  and 
shaddocks,  at  the  old  church  of  St.  John’s,  which  stands 
upon  a perpendicular  cliff ; Codrington  College  on  the  level 
under  our  feet,  and  beyond  us  the  open  Atlantic  and  the 
everlasting  breakers  from  the  trade  winds  fringing  the  shore 
with  foam.  Far  out  were  the  white  sails  of  the  fishing 
smacks.  The  Barbadians  are  careless  of  weather,  and  the 
best  of  boat  sailors.  It  was  very  pretty  in  the  bright  morn- 
ing, and  the  church  itself  was  not  the  least  interesting  part 
of  the  scene.  The  door  was  wide  open.  We  went  in,  and  I 
seemed  to  be  in  a parish  church  in  England  as  parish 
churches  used  to  be  when  I was  a child.  There  were  the 
old-fashioned  seats,  the  old  unadorned  communion  table, 
the  old  pulpit  and  reading  desk  and  the  clerk’s  desk  below, 
with  the  lion  and  the  unicorn  conspicuous  above  the  chancel 
arch.  The  white  tablets  on  the  wall  bore  familiar  names 


St.  John’s  Church. 


115 


dating  back  into  the  last  century.  On  the  floor  were  flag- 
stones still  older  with  armorial  bearings  and  letters  cut  in 
stone,  half  effaced  by  the  feet  of  the  generations  who  had 
trodden  up  the  same  aisles  till  they,  too,  lay  down  and  rested 
there.  And  there  was  this,  too,  to  be  remembered — that 
these  Barbadian  churches,  old  as  they  might  seem,  had  be- 
longed always  to  the  Anglican  communion.  No  mass  had 
ever  been  said  at  that  altar.  It  was  a milestone  on  the  high 
road  of  time,  and  was  venerable  to  me  at  once  for  its  antiq- 
uity and  for  the  era  at  which  it  had  begun  to  exist. 

At  the  porch  was  an  ancient  slab  on  which  was  a coat  of 
arms,  a crest  with  a hand  and  sword,  and  a motto,  ‘ Sic  nos, 
sic  nostra  tuemur.’  The  inscription  said  that  it  was  in  mem- 
ory of  Michael  Mahon,  £of  the  kingdom  of  Ireland,’  erected 
by  his  children  and  grandchildren.  Who  was  Michael  Mahon  ? 
Some  expatriated,  so-called  rebel,  I suppose,  whose  sword 
could  not  defend  him  from  being  Barbados’d  with  so  many 
other  poor  wretches  who  were  sent  the  same  road — victims 
of  the  tragi-comedy  of  the  English  government  of  Ireland. 
There  were  plenty  of  them  wandering  about  in  Labat’s  time, 
ready,  as  Labat  observes,  to  lend  a help  to  the  French,  should 
they  take  a fancy  to  land  a force  in  the  island. 

The  churchyard  was  scarcely  so  home-like.  The  graves 
were  planted  with  tropical  shrubs  and  flowers.  Palms  waved 
over  the  square  stone  monuments,  stephanotis  and  jessa- 
mine crept  about  the  iron  railings.  The  primroses  and 
hyacinths  and  violets,  with  which  we  dress  the  mounds  under 
which  our  friends  are  sleeping,  will  not  grow  in  the  tropics. 
In  the  place  of  them  are  the  exotics  of  our  hothouses.  We 
too  are,  perhaps,  exotics  of  another  kind  in  these  islands,  and 
may  not,  after  all,  have  a long  abiding  place  in  them. 

Colonel , who  with  his  secular  duties  combined  serious 

and  spiritual  feeling,  was  a friend  of  the  clergyman  of  St. 
John’s,  and  hoped  to  introduce  me  to  him.  This  gentleman. 


116  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

however,  was  absent  from  home.  Our  round  was  still  but  half 
completed  ; we  had  to  mount  again  and  go  another  seven 
miles  to  inspect  a police  station.  The  police  themselves  were, 
of  course,  blacks — well-grown  fine  men,  in  a high  state  of  dis- 
cipline. Our  visit  was  not  expected,  but  all  was  as  it  should 
be  ; the  rooms  well  swept  and  airy,  the  horses  in  good  condi- 
tion, stable  clean,  harness  and  arms  polished  and  ready  for 
use.  Serious  as  might  be  the  trials  of  the  Barbadians  and 
decrepit  the  financial  condition,  there  were  no  symptoms  of 
neglect  either  on  the  farms  or  in  the  social  machinery. 

Altogether  we  drove  between  thirty  and  forty  miles  that 
morning.  We  were  in  time  for  breakfast  after  all,  and  I had 
seen  half  the  island.  It  is  like  the  Isle  of  Thanet,  or  the 
country  between  Calais  and  Boulogne.  One  characteristic 
feature  must  not  be  forgotten  : there  are  no  rivers  and  no 
waterpower  ; steam  engines  have  been  introduced,  but  the 
chief  motive  agent  is  still  the  never-ceasing  trade  wind.  You 
see  windmills  everywhere,  as  it  was  in  the  time  of  Labat. 
The  planters  are  reproached  as  being  behind  the  age  ; they 
are  told  that  with  the  latest  improvements  they  might  still 
defy  then-  beetroot  enemy.  It  may  be  so,  but  a wind  which 
never  rests  is  a force  which  costs  little,  and  it  is  possible  that 
they  understand  their  own  business  best. 

Another  morning  excursion  showed  me  the  rest  of  the 
country,  and  introduced  me  to  scenes  and  persons  still  more 
interesting.  Sir  Graham  Briggs  1 is  perhaps  the  most  dis- 
tinguished representative  of  the  old  Barbadian  families.  He 
is,  or  was,  a man  of  large  fortune,  with  vast  estates  in  this  and 
other  islands.  A few  years  ago,  when  prospects  were  brighter, 
he  was  an  advocate  of  the  constitutional  development  so  much 
recommended  from  England.  The  West  Indian  Islands  were 

' As  I correct  the  proofs  I learn,  to  my  great  sorrow,  that  Sir  Graham 
is  dead.  I have  lost  in  him  a lately  made  hut  valued  friend  ; and  the 
colony  has  lost  the  ablest  of  its  legislators. 


117 


Sir  Graham  Briggs. 

to  be  confederated  into  a dominion  like  that  of  Canada,  to 
take  over  the  responsibilities  of  government,  and  to  learn  to 
stand  alone.  The  decline  in  the  value  of  property,  the  gen- 
eral decay  of  the  white  interest  in  the  islands,  and  the  rapid 
increase  of  the  blacks,  taught  those  who  at  one  time  were 
ready  for  the  change  what  the  real  nature  of  it  would  be. 
They  have  paused  to  consider  ; and  the  longer  they  consider 
the  less  they  like  it. 

Sir  Graham  had  called  upon  me  at  Government  House,  and 
had  spoken  fully  and  freely  about  the  offered  American  sugar 
treaty.  As  a severe  sufferer  he  was  naturally  irritated  at  the 
rejection  of  it ; and  in  the  mood  in  which  I found  him,  I 
should  think  it  possible  that  if  the  Americans  would  hold 
their  hands  out  with  an  offer  of  admission  into  the  Union,  he 
and  a good  many  other  gentlemen  would  meet  them  halfway. 
He  did  not  say  so — I conjecture  only  from  natural  probabili- 
ties, and  from  what  I should  feel  myself  if  I were  in  their  po- 
sition. Happily  the  temptation  cannot  fall  in  their  way.  An 
American  official  laconically  summed  up  the  situation  to  me  : 
‘ As  satellites,  sir,  as  much  as  you  please  ; but  as  part  of  the 
primary — no,  sir.’  The  Americans  will  not  take  them  into 
the  Union ; they  must  remain,  therefore,  with  their  English 
primary  and  make  the  best  of  it ; neither  as  satellites,  for 
they  have  no  proper  motion  of  their  own,  nor  as  incorporated 
in  the  British  Empire,  for  they  derive  no  benefit  from  their 
connection  with  it,  but  as  poor  relations  distantly  acknowl- 
edged. I did  not  expect  that  Sir  Graham  would  have  more 
to  say  to  me  than  he  had  said  already ; but  he  was  a culti- 
vated and  noteworthy  person,  his  house  was  said  to  be  the 
most  splendid  of  the  old  Barbadian  merchant  palaces,  and 
I gratefully  accepted  an  invitation  to  pay  him  a short  visit. 

I started  as  before  in  the  early  morning,  before  the  sun  was 
above  the  trees.  The  road  followed  the  line  of  the  shore. 
Originally,  I believe,  Barbadoes  was  like  the  Antilles,  covered 


118  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

with  forest.  In  the  interior  little  remains  save  cabbgae  palms 
and  detached  clumps  of  mangy-looking  mahogany  trees. 
The  forest  is  gone,  and  human  beings  have  taken  the  place  of 
it.  For  ten  miles  I was  driving  through  a string  of  straggling 
villages,  each  cottage  or  cabin  having  its  small  vegetable  gar- 
den and  clump  of  plantains.  Being  on  the  western  or  shel- 
tered side  of  the  island,  the  sea  was  smooth  and  edged  with 
mangrove,  through  which  at  occasional  openings  we  saw  the 
shining  water  and  the  white  coral  beach,  and  fishing  boats 
either  drawn  up  upon  it  or  anchored  outside  with  their  sails 
up.  Trees  had  been  planted  for  shade  among  the  houses. 
There  were  village  greens  with  great  silk-cotton  trees,  ban- 
yans and  acacias,  mangoes  and  oranges,  and  shaddocks  with 
their  large  fruit  glowing  among  the  leaves  like  great  golden 
melons.  The  people  swarmed,  children  tumbling  about  half 
naked,  so  like  each  other  that  one  wondered  whether  their 
mothers  knew  their  own  from  their  neighbours’  ; the  fisher- 
men’s wives  selling  flying  fish,  of  which  there  are  infinite 
numbers.  It  was  an  innocent,  pretty  scene.  One  missed 
green  fields  with  cows  upon  them.  Guinea  grass,  which  is 
all  that  they  have,  makes  excellent  fodder,  but  is  ugly  to 
look  at ; and  is  cut  and  carried,  not  eaten  where  it  grows. 
Of  animal  life  there  wei’e  innumei’able  donkeys — no  black 
man  will  walk  if  he  can  find  a donkey  to  carry  him — in- 
finite poultry,  and  pigs,  familiar  enough,  but  not  allowed  a 
free  entry  into  the  cabins  as  in  Ireland.  Of  birds  there  was 
not  any  great  variety.  The  humming  birds  preferred  less 
populated  quarters.  There  were  small  varieties  of  finches 
and  sparrows  and  buntings,  winged  atoms  without  beauty  of 
form  or  colour  ; there  were  a few  wild  pigeons  ; but  the  pre- 
vailing figure  was  the  Barbadian  crow,  a little  fellow  no 
bigger  than  a blackbird,  a diminutive  jackdaw,  who  gets  his 
living  upon  worms  and  insects  and  parasites,  and  so  tame 
that  he  would  perch  upon  a boy’s  head  if  he  saw  a chance  of 


Negro  Women. 


119 


finding  anything  eatable  there.  The  women  dress  ill  in  Bar- 
badoes,  for  they  imitate  English  ladies  ; but  no  dress  can 
conceal  the  grace  of  their  forms  when  they  are  young.  It 
struck  Pdre  Labat  two  centuries  ago,  and  time  and  their  sup- 
posed sufferings  as  slaves  have  made  no  difference.  They 
work  harder  than  the  men,  and  are  used  as  beasts  of  burden 
to  fetch  and  carry,  but  they  carry  their  loads  on  their  heads, 
and  thus  from  childhood  have  to  stand  upright  with  the 
neck  straight  and  firm.  They  do  not  spoil  their  shapes  with 
stays,  or  their  walk  with  high-heeled  shoes.  They  plant  their 
feet  firmly  on  the  ground.  Every  movement  is  elastic  and 
rounded,  and  the  grace  of  body  gives,  or  seems  to  give,  grace 
also  to  the  eyes  and  expression.  Poor  things ! it  cannot 
compensate  for  their  colour,  which  now  when  they  are  free  is 
harder  to  bear  than  when  they  were  slaves.  Their  prettiness, 
such  as  it  is,  is  short-lived.  They  grow  old  early,  and  an  old 
negress  is  always  hideous. 

After  keeping  by  the  sea  for  an  hour  we  turned  inland,  and 
at  the  foot  of  a steep  hill  we  met  my  host,  who  transferred  me 
to  his  own  carriage.  We  had  still  four  or  five  miles  to  go 
through  cane  fields  and  among  sugar  mills.  At  the  end  of 
them  we  came  to  a grand  avenue  of  cabbage  palms,  a hun- 
dred or  a hundred  and  twenty  feet  high.  How  their  slim 
stems  with  their  dense  coronet  of  leaves  survive  a hurricane 
is  one  of  the  West  Indian  marvels.  They  escape  destruction 
by  the  elasticity  with  which  they  yield  to  it.  The  branches 
which  in  a calm  stand  out  symmetrically,  forming  a circle  of 
which  the  stem  is  the  exact  centre,  bend  round  before  a vio- 
lent wind,  are  pressed  close  together,  and  stream  out  hori- 
zontally like  a horse’s  tail. 

The  avenue  led  up  to  Sir  Graham’s  house,  which  stands 
800  feet  above  the  sea.  The  garden,  once  the  wonder  of  the 
island,  was  running  wild,  though  rare  trees  and  shrubs  sur- 
vived from  its  ancient  splendour.  Among  them  were  two 


120  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

Wellingtonias  as  tall  as  the  palms,  but  bent  out  of  shape  by 
the  trade  winds.  Passing  through  a hall,  among  a litter  of 
Carib  curiosities,  we  entered  the  drawing  room,  a magnifi- 
cent saloon  extending  with  various  compartments  over  the 
greater  part  of  the  ground-floor  story.  It  was  filled  with 
rare  and  curious  things,  gathered  in  the  days  when  sugar 
was  a horn  of  plenty,  and  selected  with  the  finest  taste  ; pict- 
ures, engravings,  gems,  antiquarian  relics,  books,  maps,  and 
manuscripts.  There  had  been  fine  culture  in  the  West  Indies 
when  all  these  treasures  were  collected.  The  English  settlers 
there,  like  the  English  in  Ireland,  had  the  tastes  of  a grand 
race,  and  by-and-by  we  shall  miss  both  of  them  when  they 
are  overwhelmed,  as  they  are  likely  to  be,  in  the  revolution- 
ary tide.  Sir  Graham  was  stemming  it  to  the  best  of  his 
ability,  and  if  he  was  to  go  under  would  go  under  like  a 
gentleman.  A dining  room  almost  as  large  had  once  been 
the  scene  of  hospitalities  like  those  which  are  celebrated  by 
Tom  Cringle.  A broad  staircase  led  up  from  the  hall  to  long 
galleries,  out  of  which  bedrooms  opened  ; with  cool  deep 
balconies  and  the  universal  green  blinds.  It  wTas  a palace 
with  which  Aladdin  himself  might  have  been  satisfied,  one  of 
those  which  had  stirred  the  envying  admiration  of  foreign 
travellers  in  the  last  century,  one  of  many  then,  now  probably 
the  last  surviving  representative  of  Anglo-West  Indian  civili- 
sation. Like  other  forms  of  human  life,  it  has  had  its  day 
and  could  not  last  for  ever.  Something  better  may  grow  in 
the  place  of  it,  but  also  something  worse  may  grow.  The 
example  of  Hayti  ought  to  suggest  misgivings  to  the  most 
ardent  philo-negro  enthusiast. 

West  Indian  cookery  was  famous  over  the  world.  Pere 
Labat  devotes  at  least  a thousand  pages  to  the  dishes  com- 
pounded of  the  spices  and  fruits  of  the  islands,  and  their  fish 
and  fowl.  Carib  tradition  was  developed  by  artists  from 
London  and  Paris.  The  Caribs,  according  to  Labat,  only  ate 


Social  Revolution. 


121 


one  another  for  ceremony  and  on  state  occasions  ; their  com- 
mon diet  was  as  excellent  as  it  was  innocent ; and  they  had 
ascertained  by  careful  experience  the  culinary  and  medicinal 
virtues  of  every  animal  and  plant  around  them.  Tom  Cringle 
is  eloquent  on  the  same  subject,  but  with  less  scientific  knowl- 
edge. My  own  unfortunately  is  less  than  his,  and  I can  do 
no  justice  at  all  to  Sir  Graham’s  entertainment  of  me  ; I can 
but  say  that  he  treated  me  to  a "West  Indian  banquet  of  the 
old  sort,  infinite  in  variety,  and  with  subtle  differences  of 
flavour  for  which  no  language  provides  names.  The  wine — • 
laid  up  consule  Planco,  when  Pitt  was  prime  minister,  and  the 
days  of  liberty  as  yet  were  not — was  as  admirable  as  the 
dishes,  and  the  fruit  more  exquisite  than  either.  Such  pine- 
apples, such  shaddocks,  I had  never  tasted  before,  and  shall 
never  taste  again. 

Hospitable,  generous,  splendid  as  was  Sir  Graham’s  recep- 
tion of  me,  it  was  nevertheless  easy  to  see  that  the  prospects 
of  the  island  sat  heavy  upon  him.  We  had  a long  conversa- 
tion when  breakfast  was  over,  which,  if  it  added  nothing  new 
to  what  I had  heard  before,  deepened  and  widened  the  im- 
pression of  it. 

The  English  West  Indies,  like  other  parts  of  the  world, 
are  going  through  a silent  revolution.  Elsewhere  the  revolu- 
tion, as  we  hope,  is  a transition  state,  a new  birth  ; a passing 
away  of  what  is  old  and  worn  out,  that  a fresh  and  healthier 
order  may  rise  in  its  place.  In  the  West  Indies  the  most 
sanguine  of  mortals  will  find  it  difficult  to  entertain  any  such 
hope  at  all.  We  have  been  a ruling  power  there  for  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ; the  whites  whom  we  planted  as 
our  representatives  are  dx-ifting  into  ruin,  and  they  regard. 
England  and  England’s  policy  as  the  principal  cause  of 
it.  The  blacks  whom,  in  a fit  of  virtuous  benevolence,  we 
emancipated,  do  not  feel  that  they  are  particularly  obliged  to 
us.  They  think,  if  they  think  at  all,  that  they  were  ill  treated 


122 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

originally,  and  have  received  no  more  than  was  due  to  them, 
and  that  perhaps  it  was  not  benevolence  at  all  on  our  part, 
but  a desire  to  free  ourselves  from  the  reproach  of  slave- 
holding. At  any  rate,  the  tendencies  now  in  operation  are 
loosening  the  hold  which  we  possess  on  the  islands,  and  the 
longer  they  last  the  looser  that  hold  will  become.  French 
influence  is  in  no  danger  of  dying  out  in  Martinique  and 
Guadaloupe.  The  Spanish  race  is  not  dying  in  Cuba  and 
Puerto  Eico.  England  will  soon  be  no  more  than  a name  in 
Barbadoes  and  the  Antilles.  Having  acquitted  our  con- 
science by  emancipation,  we  have  left  our  West  Indian  inter- 
est to  sink  or  swim.  Our  principle  has  been  to  leave  each 
part  of  our  empire  (except  the  East  Indies)  to  take  care  of 
itself  : we  give  the  various  inhabitants  liberty,  and  what  we 
understand  by  fair  play  ; that  we  have  any  further  moral  re- 
sponsibilities towards  them  we  do  not  imagine,  even  in  our 
dreams,  when  they  have  ceased  to  be  of  commercial  impor- 
tance to  us  ; and  we  assume  that  the  honour  of  being  British 
subjects  will  suffice  to  secure  their  allegiance.  It  will  not 
suffice,  as  we  shall  eventually  discover.  We  have  decided 
that  if  the  West  Indies  are  to  become  again  prosperous  they 
must  recover  by  their  own  energy.  Our  other  colonies  can 
do  without  help  ; why  not  they  ? We  ought  to  remember 
that  they  are  not  like  the  other  colonies.  We  occupied  them 
at  a time  when  slavery  was  considered  a lawful  institution, 
profitable  to  ourselves  and  useful  to  the  souls  of  the  negroes, 
who  were  brought  by  it  within  reach  of  salvation.  We  be- 

1 It  was  on  this  ground  alone  that  slavery  was  permitted  in  the 
French  islands.  Labat  says: 

‘ C’est  une  loi  tres-ancienne  que  les  terres  soumises  aux  rois  de 
France  rendent  libres  tous  ceux  qui  s’y  peuvent  retirer.  C’est  ce  qni 
fit  que  le  roi  Louis  XIII,  de  glorieuse  memoire,  aussi  pieux  qu'il  etoit 
sage,  eut  toutes  les  peines  du  monde  a consentir  que  les  premiers  habi- 
tants des  isles  eussent  des  esclaves:  et  ne  se  rendit  enfin  qu’aux  pres- 


West  Indian  Confederation. 


123 


came  ourselves  the  chief  slave  dealers  in  the  world.  We  peo- 
pled our  islands  with  a population  of  blacks  more  dense  by 
far  in  proportion  to  the  whites  than  France  or  Spain  ever 
ventured  to  do.  We  did  not  recognise,  as  the  French  and 
Spaniards  did,  that  if  our  western  colonies  were  permanent- 
ly to  belong  to  us,  we  must  occupy  them  ourselves.  We 
thought  only  of  the  immediate  profit  which  was  to  be  gath- 
ered cut  of  the  slave  gangs  ; and  the  disproportion  of  the 
two  races — always  dangerously  large — has  increased  with 
ever-gathering  velocity  since  the  emancipation.  It  is  now 
beyond  control  on  the  old  lines.  The  scanty  whites  are  told 
that  they  must  work  out  their  own  salvation  on  equal  terms 
with  their  old  servants.  The  relation  is  an  impossible  one. 
The  independent  energy  which  we  may  fairly  look  for  in 
Australia  and  New  Zealand  is  not  to  be  looked  for  in  Ja- 
maica and  Barbadoes  ; and  the  problem  must  have  a new 
solution. 

Confederation  is  to  be  the  remedy,  we  are  told.  Let  the 
islands  be  combined  under  a constitution.  The  whites  col- 
lectively will  then  he  a considerable  body,  and  can  assert 
themselves  successfully.  Confederation  is,  as  I said  before  of 
the  movement  in  Trinidad,  but  a turn  of  the  kaleidoscope, 
the  same  pieces  with  a new  pattern.  A West  Indian  self- 
governed  Dominion  is  possible  only  with  a full  negro  vote. 
If  the  whites  are  to  combine,  so  will  the  blacks.  It  will  be  a 
rule  by  the  blacks  and  for  the  blacks.  Let  a generation  or 
two  pass  by  and  carry  away  with  them  the  old  traditions,  and 
an  English  governor-general  will  be  found  presiding  over  a 
black  council,  delivering  the  speeches  made  for  him  by  a 

santes  sollicitations  qu’on  luy  faisoit  de  leur  octroyer  cette  permission 
que  parce  qu’on  lui  remontra  que  c’etoit  un  moyen  infaillible  et  l’unique 
qu’il  y eftt  pour  inspirer  le  culte  du  vrai  Dieu  aux  Africains,  les  retirer 
de  1’idolatrie,  et  les  faire  perseverer  jusqu’a  la  mort  dans  la  religion 
chretienne  qu’on  leur  feroit  em'brasser.’ — Yol.  iv.  p.  14. 


124  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

black  prime  minister  ; and  how  long  could  this  endure  ? No 
English  gentleman  would  consent  to  occupy  so  absurd  a sit- 
uation. The  two  races  are  not  equal  and  will  not  blend.  If 
the  white  people  do  not  depart  of  themselves,  black  legislation 
will  make  it  impossible  for  any  of  them  to  stay  who  would 
not  be  better  out  of  the  way.  The  Anglo-Irish  Protestants 
will  leave  Ireland  if  there  is  an  Irish  Catholic  parliament  in 
College  Green  ; the  whites,  for  the  same  reason,  will  leave 
the  West  Indies ; and  in  one  and  the  other  the  connection 
with  the  British  Empire  will  disappear  along  with  them.  It 
must  be  so  ; only  politicians  whose  horizon  does  not  extend 
beyond  their  personal  future,  and  whose  ambition  is  only  to  se- 
cure the  immediate  triumph  of  their  party,  can  expect  any- 
thing else. 

Before  my  stay  at  Barbadoes  ended,  I had  an  opportunity 
of  meeting  at  dinner  a negro  of  pure  blood  who  has  risen  to 
eminence  by  his  own  talent  and  character.  He  has  held  the 
office  of  attorney-general.  He  is  now  chief  justice  of  the 
island.  Exceptions  are  supposed  proverbially  to  prove  noth- 
ing, or  to  prove  the  opposite  of  what  they  appear  to  prove. 
When  a particular  phenomenon  occurs  rarely,  the  probabili- 
ties are  strong  against  the  recurrence  of  it.  Having  heard 
the  craniological  and  other  objections  to  the  supposed  identity 
of  the  negro  and  white  races,  I came  to  the  opinion  long  ago  in 
Africa,  and  I have  seen  no  reason  to  change  it,  that  whether 
they  are  of  one  race  or  not  there  is  no  original  or  congeni- 
tal difference  of  capacity  between  them,  any  more  than  there 
is  between  a black  horse  and  a black  dog  and  a white  horse 
and  a white  dog.  With  the  same  chances  and  with  the  same 
treatment,  I believe  that  distinguished  men  would  be  pro- 
duced equally  from  both  races,  and  Mr. ’s  well-earned 

success  is  an  additional  evidence  of  it.  But  it  does  not  fol- 
low that  what  can  be  done  eventually  can  be  done  immedi- 
ately, and  the  gulf  which  divides  the  colours  is  no  arbitrary 


History  of  Human  Development. 


125 


prejudice,  but  has  been  opened  by  the  centuries  of  training 
and  discipline  which  have  given  us  the  start  in  the  race.  We 
set  it  down  to  slavery.  It  would  be  far  truer  to  set  it  down 
to  freedom.  The  African  blacks  have  been  free  enough  for 
thousands,  perhaps  for  tens  of  thousands  of  years,  and  it  has 
been  the  absence  of  restraint  which  has  prevented  them  from 
becoming  civilised.  Generation  has  followed  generation,  and 
the  children  are  as  like  their  father  as  the  successive  genera- 
tions of  apes.  The  whites,  it  is  likely  enough,  succeeded  one 
another  with  the  same  similarity  for  a long  series  of  ages.  It 
is  now  supposed  that  the  human  race  has  been  upon  the  planet 
for  a hundred  thousand  years  at  least,  and  the  first  traces  of 
civilisation  cannot  be  thrown  back  at  farthest  beyond  six 
thousand.  During  all  those  ages  mankind  went  on  treading 
in  the  same  steps,  century  after  century  making  no  more  ad- 
vance than  the  birds  and  beasts.  In  Egypt  or  in  India  or  one 
knows  not  where,  accident  or  natural  development  quickened 
into  life  our  moral  and  intellectual  faculties  ; and  these  facul- 
ties have  grown  into  what  we  now  experience,  not  in  the  free- 
dom in  which  the  modern  takes  delight,  but  under  the  sharp 
rule  of  the  strong  over  the  weak,  of  the  wise  over  the  unwise. 
Our  own  Anglo-Norman  race  has  become  capable  of  self-gov- 
ernment only  after  a thousand  years  of  civil  and  spiritual  au- 
thority. European  government,  European  instruction,  con- 
tinued steadily  till  his  natural  tendencies  are  superseded  by  a 
higher  instinct,  may  shorten  the  probation  period  of  the  ne- 
gro. Individual  blacks  of  exceptional  quality,  like  Frederick 
Douglas  in  America,  or  the  Chief  Justice  of  Barbadoes,  will 
avail  themselves  of  opportunities  to  rise,  and  the  freest  op- 
portunities ought  to  be  offered  them.  But  it  is  as  certain  as 
any  future  event  can  be  that  if  we  give  the  negroes  as  a body 
the  political  powers  which  we  claim  for  ourselves,  they  will 
use  them  only  to  their  own  injury.  They  will  slide  back  into 
their  old  condition,  and  the  chance  will  be  gone  of  lifting 


126 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


them  to  the  level  to  which  we  have  no  right  to  say  that  they 
are  incapable  of  rising. 

Chief  Justice  E owes  his  elevation  to  his  English  en- 

vironment and  his  English  legal  training.  He  would  not 
pretend  that  he  could  have  made  himself  what  he  is  in  Hayti 
or  in  Dahomey.  Let  English  authority  die  away,  and  the 
average  black  nature,  such  as  it  now  is,  be  left  free  to  assert 
itself,  and  there  will  be  no  more  negroes  like  him  in  Barba- 
does  or  anywhere. 

Naturally,  I found  him  profoundly  interested  in  the  late 
revelations  of  the  state  of  Hayti.  Sir  Spenser  St.  John,  an 
English  official,  after  residing  for  twelve  years  in  Port  au 
Prince,  had  in  a published  narrative  with  many  details  and 
particulars,  declared  that  the  republic  of  Toussaint  l’Ouver- 
ture,  the  idol  of  all  believers  in  the  new  gospel  of  liberty, 
had,  after  ninety  years  of  independence,  become  a land  where 
cannibalism  could  be  practised  with  impunity.  The  African 
Obeah,  the  worship  of  serpents  and  trees  and  stones,  after 
smouldering  in  all  the  West  Indies  in  the  form  of  witchcraft 
and  poisoning,  had  broken  out  in  Hayti  in  all  its  old  hideous- 
ness. Children  were  sacrificed  as  in  the  old  days  of  Moloch 
and  were  devoui’ed  with  horrid  ceremony,  salted  limbs  being 
preserved  and  sold  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  were  unable 
to  attend  the  full  solemnities. 

That  a man  in  the  position  of  a British  resident  should 
have  ventured  on  a statement  which,  if  untrue,  would  be 
ruinous  to  himself,  appeared  in  a high  degree  improbable. 
Yet  one  had  to  set  one  incredibility  against  another.  Not- 
withstanding the  character  of  the  evidence,  when  I wrent  out 
to  the  West  Indies  I was  still  unbelieving.  I could  not  bring 
myself  to  credit  that  in  an  island  nominally  Catholic,  where 
the  French  language  was  spoken,  and  there  were  cathedrals 
and  churches  and  priests  and  missionaries,  so  horrid  a revival 
of  devil-worship  could  have  been  really  possible.  All  the  in- 


Cannibalism  in  Hayti. 


127 


quiries  which  I had  been  able  to  make,  from  American  and 
other  officers  who  had  been  in  Hayti,  confirmed  Sir  S.  St. 
John’s  story.  I had  hardly  found  a person  who  entertained  a 
doubt  of  it.  I was  perplexed  and  uncertain,  when  the  Chief 
Justice  opened  the  subject  and  asked  me  what  I thought.  Had 
I been  convinced  I should  have  turned  the  conversation,  but 
I was  not  convinced  and  I was  not  afraid  to  say  so.  I re- 
minded him  of  the  universal  conviction  through  Europe  that 
the  Jews  were  habitually  guilty  of  sacrificing  children  also. 
There  had  been  detailed  instances.  Alleged  offenders  had 
been  brought  before  courts  of  justice  at  any  time  for  the  last 
six  hundred  years.  Witnesses  had  been  found  to  swear  to 
facts  which  had  been  accepted  as  conclusive.  Wretched 
creatures  in  Henry  IH.’s  time  had  been  dragged  by  dozens  at 
horses’  tails  through  the  streets  of  London,  broken  on  the 
wheel,  or  torn  to  pieces  by  infuriated  mobs.  Even  within 
the  last  two  years,  the  same  accusation  had  been  brought 
forward  in  Russia  and  Germany,  and  had  been  established 
apparently  by  adequate  proof.  So  far  as  popular  conviction 
of  the  guilt  of  the  Jews  was  an  evidence  against  them,  noth- 
ing could  be  stronger ; and  no  charge  could  be  without 
foundation  on  ordinary  principles  of  evidence  which  revived 
so  often  and  in  so  many  places.  And  yet  many  persons,  I 
said,  and  n^self  among  them,  believed  that  although  the 
accusers  were  perfectly  sincere,  the  guilt  of  the  Jews  was 
from  end  to  end  an  hallucination  of  hatred.  I had  looked 
into  the  particulars  of  some  of  the  trials.  They  were  like 
the  trials  for  witchcraft.  The  belief  had  created  the  fact,  and 
accusation  was  itself  evidence.  I was  prepared  to  find  these 
stories  of  child  murder  in  Hayti  were  bred  similarly  of  anti- 
negro prejudice. 

Had  the  Chief  Justice  caught  at  my  suggestion  with  any 
eagerness  I should  have  suspected  it  myself.  His  grave  dif- 
fidence and  continued  hesitation  in  offering  an  opinion  con- 


128  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

firmed  me  in  my  own.  I told  him  that  I was  going  to  Hayti 
to  learn  what  I could  on  the  spot.  I could  not  expect  that 
I,  on  a flying  visit,  could  see  deeper  into  the  truth  than  Sir 
Spenser  St.  John  had  seen,  but  at  least  I should  not  take 
with  me  a mind  already  made  up,  and  I was  not  given  to 
credulity.  He  took  leave  of  me  with  an  expression  of  pas- 
sionate anxiety  that  it  might  be  found  possible  to  remove  so 
black  a stain  from  his  unfortunate  race. 


CHAPTER  X. 


Leeward  and  Windward  Islands — The  Caribs  of  Dominica — Visit  of 
Pfere  Labat — St.  Lucia — The  Pitons — The  harbour  at  Castries — In- 
tended coaling  station — Visit  to  the  administrator — The  old  fort  and 
barracks— Conversation  with  an  American — Constitution  of  Do- 
minica— Land  at  Roseau. 

Beyond  all  the  West  Indian  Islands  I had  been  curious  to 
see  Dominica.'  It  was  the  scene  of  Rodney’s  great  fight  on 
April  12.  It  was  the  most  beautiful  of  the  Antilles  and  the 
least  known.  A tribe  of  aboriginal  Caribs  still  lingered  in 
the  forests  retaining  the  old  look  and  the  old  language,  and, 
except  that  they  no  longer  ate  their  prisoners,  retaining  their 
old  habits.  They  were  skilful  fishermen,  skilful  basket 
makers,  skilful  in  many  curious  arts. 

The  island  lies  between  Martinique  and  Guadaloupe,  and 
is  one  of  the  group  now  called  Leeward  Islands,  as  distin- 
guished from  St.  Lucia,  St.  Vincent,  Grenada,  &e.,  which 
form  the  Windward.  The  early  geographers  drew  the  line 
differently  and  more  rationally.  The  main  direction  of  the 
trade  winds  is  from  the  east.  To  them  the  Windward 
Islands  were  the  whole  chain  of  the  Antilles,  which  form  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Caribbean  Sea.  The  Leeward  were  the 
great  islands  on  the  west  of  it — Cuba,  St.  Domingo,  Puerto 

1 Not  to  be  confounded  with  St.  Domingo,  which  is  called  after  St. 
Domenic,  where  the  Spaniards  first  settled,  and  is  now  divided  into  the 
two  black  republics  of  St.  Domingo  and  Hayti.  Dominica  lies  in  the 
chain  of  the  Antilles  between  Martinique  and  Guadaloupe,  and  was  so 
named  by  Columbus  because  he  discovered  it  on  a Sunday. 

9 


130  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

Bico,  and  Jamaica.  The  modern  division  corresponds  to  no 
natural  phenomenon.  The  drift  of  the  trades  is  rather  from 
the  north-east  than  from  the  south-east,  and  the  names 
serve  only  now  to  describe  our  own  not  very  successful  po- 
litical groupings. 

Dominica  cuts  in  two  the  French  West  Indian  possessions. 
The  French  took  it  originally  from  the  Spaniards,  occupied 
it,  colonised  it,  planted  in  it  their  religion  and  their  lan- 
guage, and  fought  desperately  to  maintain  their  possession. 
Lord  Kodney,  to  whom  we  owe  our  own  position  in  the  West 
Indies,  insisted  that  Dominica  must  belong  to  us  to  hold  the 
French  in  check,  and  regarded  it  as  the  most  important  of 
all  our  stations  there.  Eodney  made  it  English,  and  Eng- 
lish it  has  ever  since  remained  in  spite  of  the  furious  efforts 
which  France  made  to  recover  an  island  which  she  so  highly 
valued  during  the  Napoleon  wars.  I was  anxious  to  learn 
what  we  had  made  of  a place  which  we  had  fought  so  hard 
for. 

Though  Dominica  is  the  most  mountainous  of  all  the 
Antilles,  it  is  split  into  many  valleys  of  exquisite  fertility. 
Through  each  there  runs  a full  and  ample  river,  swarming 
with  fish,  and  yielding  waterpower  enough  to  drive  all  the 
mills  which  industry  could  build.  In  these  valleys  and  on 
the  rich  levels  along  the  shore  the  French  had  once  their 
cane  fields  and  orange  gardens,  their  pineapple  beds  and 
indigo  plantations. 

Labat,  who  travelled  through  the  island  at  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  found  it  at  that  time  chiefly  occupied  by 
Caribs.  With  his  hungry  appetite  for  knowledge,  he  was  a 
guest  in  their  villages,  acquainted  himself  with  their  charac- 
ters and  habits,  and  bribed  out  of  them  by  lavish  presents  of 
brandy  the  secrets  of  their  medicines  and  poisons.  The 
Pere  was  a clever,  curious  man,  with  a genial  human  sym- 
pathy about  him,  and  was  indulgent  to  the  faults  which  the 


The  Caribs. 


131 


poor  coloured  sinners  fell  into  from  never  having  known  bet- 
ter. He  tried  to  make  Christians  of  them.  They  were  will- 
ing to  be  baptised  as  often  as  he  liked  for  a glass  of  brandy. 
But  he  W'as  not  very  angry  when  he  found  that  the  Christi- 
anity went  no  deeper.  Moral  virtues,  he  concluded  chari- 
tably, could  no  more  be  expected  out  of  a Carib  than  reason 
and  good  sense  out  of  a woman. 

At  Roseau,  the  capital,  he  fell  in  with  the  then  queen  of 
Dominica,  a Madame  Ouvernard,  a Carib  of  pure  blood,  who 
in  her  time  of  youth  and  beauty  had  been  the  mistress  of  an 
English  governor  of  St.  Kitts.  When  Labat  saw  her  she  was  a 
hundred  years  old  with  a family  of  children  and  grandchil- 
dren. She  was  a grand  old  lady,  unclothed  almost  absolutely, 
bent  double,  so  that  under  ordinary  circumstances  nothing  of 
her  face  could  be  seen.  Labat,  however,  presented  her  with 
a couple  of  bottles  of  eau  de  vie,  under  the  influence  of  which 
she  lifted  up  to  him  a pair  of  still  brilliant,  eyes  and  a fair 
mouthful  of  teeth.  They  did  very  well  together,  and  on  part- 
ing they  exchanged  presents  in  Homeric  fashion,  she  loading 
him  with  baskets  of  fruit,  he  giving  a box  in  return  full  of 
pins  and  needles,  knives  and  scissors. 

Labat  was  a student  of  languages  before  philology  had  be- 
come a science.  He  discovered  from  the  language  of  the 
Caribs  that  they  wTere  North  American  Indians.  They  called 
themselves  Banari,  which  meant  ‘ come  from  over  sea.’  Then- 
dialect  was  almost  identical  with  what  he  had  heard  spoken  in 
Florida.  They  were  cannibals,  but  of  a peculiar  kind.  Hu- 
man flesh  was  not  their  ordinary  food  ; but  they  ‘ boucanned  ’ 
or  dried  the  limbs  of  distinguished  enemies  whom  they  had 
killed  in  battle,  and  handed  them  round  to  be  gnawed  at 
special  festivals.  They  were  a light-hearted,  pleasant  race, 
capital  shots  with  bows  and  arrows,  and  ready  to  do  anything 
he  asked  in  return  for  brandy.  They  killed  a hammer  shark 
for  his  amusement  by  diving  under  the  monster  and  stabbing 


132 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


him  with  knives.  As  to  their  religion,  they  had  no  objection 
to  anything.  But  their  real  belief  was  in  a sort  of  devil. 

Soon  after  Labat’s  visit  the  French  came  in,  drove  the 
Caribs  into  the  mountains,  introduced  negro  slaves,  and  an 
ordered  form  of  society.  Madame  Ouvernard  and  her  court 
went  to  their  own  place.  Canes  were  planted,  and  indigo 
and  coffee.  A cathedral  was  built  at  Koseau,  and  parish 
churches  were  scattered  about  the  island.  There  were  con- 
vents of  nuns  and  houses  of  friars,  and  a fort  at  the  port  with 
a garrison  in  it.  The  French  might  have  been  there  till  now 
had  not  we  turned  them  out  some  ninety  years  ago  ; English 
enterprise  then  setting  in  that  direction  under  the  impulse  of 
Rodney’s  victories.  I was  myself  about  to  see  the  improve- 
ments which  we  had  introduced  into  an  acquisition  which 
had  cost  us  so  dear. 

I was  to  be  dropped  at  Roseau  by  the  mail  steamer  from 
Barbadoes  to  St.  Thomas’s.  On  our  way  we  touched  at  St. 
Lucia,  another  once  famous  possession  of  ours.  This  island 
was  once  French  also.  Rodney  took  it  in  1778.  It  was 
the  only  one  of  the  Antilles  which  was  left  to  us  in  the  re- 
verses which  followed  the  capitulation  of  York  Town.  It  was 
in  the  harbour  at  Castries,  the  chief  port,  that  Rodney  col- 
lected the  fleet  which  fought  and  won  the  great  battle  with 
the  Count  de  Grasse,  At  the  peace  of  Versailles,  St.  Lucia 
was  restored  to  France  ; but  was  retaken  in  1796  by  Sir 
Ralph  Abercrombie,  and,  like  Dominica,  has  ever  since  be- 
longed to  England.  This,  too,  is  a beautiful  mountainous 
island,  twice  as  large  as  Barbadoes,  in  which  even  at  this  late 
day  we  have  suddenly  discovered  that  we  have  an  interest. 
The  threatened  Darien  canal  has  awakened  us  to  a sense  that 
we  require  a fortified  coaling  station  in  those  quarters.  St. 
Lucia  has  the  greatest  natural  advantages  for  such  a purpose, 
and  works  are  already  in  progress  there,  and  the  long-de- 
serted forts  and  barracks,  which  had  been  made  over  to 


The  Pitons  of  St.  Lucia. 


133 


snakes  and  lizards,  are  again  to  be  occupied  by  English 
troops. 

We  sailed  one  evening  from  Barbadoes.  In  the  grey  of 
the  next  morning  we  were  in  the  passage  between  St.  Lucia 
and  St.  Vincent  just  under  the  ‘ Pitons,’  which  were  soaring 
grandly  above  us  in  the  twilight.  The  Pitons  are  two  conical 
mountains  rising  straight  out  of  the  sea  at  the  southern  end 
of  St.  Lucia,  one  of  them  3,000  feet  high,  the  other  a few  feet 
lower,  symmetrical  in  shape  like  sugar  loaves,  and  so  steep  as 
to  be  inaccessible  to  any  one  but  a member  of  the  Alpine  Club. 
Tradition  says  that  four  English  seamen,  belonging  to  the 
fleet,  did  once  set  out  to  climb  the  loftier  of  the  two.  They 
were  watched  in  their  ascent  through  a telescope.  When 
halfway  up  one  of  them  was  seen  to  drop,  while  three  went 
on  ; a few  hundred  feet  higher  a second  dropped,  and  after- 
wards a third  ; one  had  almost  reached  the  summit,  when  he 
fell  also.  No  account  of  what  had  befallen  them  ever  reached 
their  ship.  They  were  supposed  to  have  been  bitten  by  the 
fer  de  lance,  the  deadliest  snake  in  St.  Lucia  and  perhaps  in 
the  world,  who  had  resented  and  punished  their  intrusion  into 
regions  where  they  had  no  business.  Such  is  the  local  legend, 
born  probably  out  of  the  terror  of  a reptile  which  is  no  legend 
at  all,  but  a living  and  very  active  reality. 

I had  gone  on  deck  on  hearing  where  we  were,  and  saw 
the  twin  grey  peaks  high  above  me  in  the  sky,  the  last  stars 
glimmering  over  their  tops  and  the  waves  washing  against 
the  black  precipices  at  their  base.  The  night  had  been 
rough,  and  a considerable  sea  was  running,  which  changed, 
however,  to  an  absolute  calm  when  we  had  passed  the  Pitons 
and  were  under  the  lee  of  the  island.  I could  then  observe 
the  peculiar  blue  of  the  water  which  I was  told  that  I should 
find  at  St.  Lucia  and  Dominica.  I have  seen  the  sea  of  very 
beautiful  colours  in  several  parts  of  the  world,  but  I never 
saw  any  which  equalled  this.  I do  not  know  the  cause.  The 


134 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


depth  is  very  great  even  close  to  the  shore.  The  islands  are 
merely  volcanic  mountains  with  sides  extremely  steep.  The 
coral  insect  has  made  anchorages  in  the  bays  and  inlets,  else- 
where you  are  out  of  soundings  almost  immediately.  As  to 
St.  Lucia  itself,  if  I had  not  seen  Grenada,  if  I had  not  known 
what  I was  about  to  see  in  Dominica,  I should  have  thought 
it  the  most  exquisite  place  which  nature  had  ever  made,  so 
perfect  were  the  forms  of  the  forest-clothed  hills,  the  glens 
dividing  them  and  the  high  mountain  ranges  in  the  interior 
still  draped  in  the  white  mist  of  morning.  Here  and  there 
along  the  shore  there  were  bright  green  spots  which  meant 
cane  fields.  Sugar  cane  in  these  countries  is  always  called 
for  brevity  cane. 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  population  is  almost  entirely  negro, 
forty  thousand  blacks  and  a few  hundred  whites,  the  ratio 
altering  every  year  to  white  disadvantage.  The  old  system 
has  not,  however,  disappeared  as  completely  as  in  other 
places.  There  are  still  white  planters  with  large  estates, 
which  are  not  encumbered  as  in  Barbadoes.  They  are  strug- 
gling along,  discontented  of  course,  but  not  wholly  despond- 
ent. The  chief  complaint  is  the  somewhat  weary  one  of  the 
laziness  of  the  blacks,  who  they  say  will  work  only  when  they 
please,  and  are  never  fully  awake  except  at  dinner  time.  I 
do  not  know  that  they  have  a right  to  expect  anything  else 
from  poor  creatures  whom  the  law  calls  human,  but  who  to 
them  are  only  mechanical  tools,  not  so  manageable  as  tools 
ought  to  be,  with  whom  they  have  no  acquaintance  and  no 
human  relations,  whose  wages  are  but  twopence  an  hour 
and  are  diminished  by  fines  at  the  arbitrary  pleasure  of  the 
overseer. 

Life  and  hope  and  energy  are  the  qualities  most  needed. 
When  the  troops  return  there  will  be  a change,  and  spirit 
may  be  put  into  them  again.  Castries,  the  old  French  town, 
lies  at  the  head  of  a deep  inlet  which  runs  in  among  the 


The  Harbour  at  St.  Lucia. 


135 


mountains  like  a fiord.  This  is  to  be  the  future  coaling 
station.  The  mouth  of  the  bay  is  narrow  with  a high  pro- 
jecting ‘ head  ’ on  either  side  of  it,  and  can  be  easily  and 
cheaply  fortified.  There  is  little  or  no  tide  in  these  seas. 
There  is  depth  of  water  sufficient  in  the  greater  part  of  the 
harbour  for  line-of-battle  ships  to  anchor  and  turn,  and  the 
few  coral  shoals  which  would  be  in  the  way  are  being  torn 
up  with  dredging  machines.  The  island  has  borrowed  sev- 
enty thousand  pounds  on  Government  security  to  prepare  for 
the  dignity  which  awaits  it  and  for  the  prosperity  which  is  to 
follow.  There  was  real  work  actively  going  on,  a rare  and 
perhaps  unexampled  phenomenon  in  the  English  West  Indies. 

We  brought  up  alongside  of  a wharf  to  take  in  coal.  It 
was  a strange  scene  ; cocoa-nut  palms  growing  incongruously 
out  of  coal  stores,  and  gorgeous  flowering  creepers  climbing 
over  the  workmen’s  sheds.  Volumes  of  smoke  rose  out  of 
the  dredging  engines  and  hovered  over  the  town.  We  had 
come  back  to  French  costume  again  ; we  had  left  the  white 
dresses  behind  at  Barbadoes,  and  the  people  at  Castries  were 
bright  as  paiTots  in  crimsons  and  blues  and  greens  ; but  fine 
colours  looked  oddly  out  of  place  by  the  side  of  the  grimy  re- 
production of  England. 

I went  on  shore  and  fell  in  with  the  engineer  of  the  works, 
who  kindly  showed  me  his  plans  of  the  harbour,  and  explained 
what  was  to  be  done.  He  showed  me  also  some  beautiful 
large  bivalves  which  had  been  brought  up  in  the  scrapers  out 
of  the  coral.  They  were  new  to  me  and  new  to  him,  though 
they  may  be  familiar  enough  to  more  experienced  naturalists. 
Among  other  curiosities  he  had  a fer  de  lance,  lately  killed 
and  preserved  in  spirits,  a rat-tailed,  reddish,  powerful-looking 
brute,  about  four  feet  long  and  as  thick  as  a child’s  wrisw 
Even  when  dead  I looked  at  him  respectfully,  for  his  bite  is 
fatal  and  the  effect  almost  instantaneous.  He  is  fearless,  and 
will  not,  like  most  snakes,  get  out  of  your  way  if  he  hears  you 


136  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

coming,  but  leaves  you  to  get  out  of  his.  He  has  a bad  habit, 
too,  of  taking  his  walks  at  night  ; he  prefers  a path  or  a road 
to  the  grass,  and  your  house  or  your  garden  to  the  forest ; 
while  if  you  step  upon  him  you  will  never  do  it  again.  They 
have  introduced  the  mongoose,  who  has  cleared  the  snakes  out 
of  Jamaica,  to  deal  with  him  ; but  the  mongoose  knows  the 
creature  that  he  has  to  encounter,  and  as  yet  has  made  little 
progress  in  extirpating  him. 

St.  Lucia  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Barbadoes.  It  has  no 
governor  of  its  own,  but  only  an  administrator  indifferently 
paid.  The  elective  principle  has  not  yet  been  introduced  into 
the  legislature,  and  perhaps  will  not  be  introduced  since  we 
have  discovered  the  island  to  be  of  consequence  to  us,  unless 
as  part  of  some  general  confedei'ation.  The  present  admin- 
istrator— Mr.  Laborde,  a gentleman,  I suppose,  of  French 
descent — is  an  elderly  official,  and  resides  in  the  old  quarters 
of  the  general  of  the  forces,  900  feet  above  the  sea.  He  has 
large  responsibilities,  and,  having  had  large  experience  also, 
seems  fully  equal  to  the  duties  which  attach  to  him.  He  can- 
not have  the  authority  of  a complete  governor,  or  undertake 
independent  enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  the  island,  as  a 
Bajah  Brooke  might  do,  but  he  walks  steadily  on  in  the  lines 
assigned  to  him.  St.  Lucia  is  better  off  in  this  respect  than 
most  of  the  Antilles,  and  may  revive  perhaps  into  something 
like  prosperity  when  the  coaling  station  is  finished  and  under 
the  command  of  some  eminent  engineer  officer. 

Mr.  Laborde  had  invited  us  to  lunch  with  him.  Horses 
were  waiting  for  us,  and  we  rode  up  the  old  winding  track 
which  led  from  the  town  to  the  barracks.  The  heat  below 
was  oppressive,  but  the  air  cooled  as  we  rose.  The  road  is  so 
steep  that  resting  places  had  been  provided  at  intervals, 
where  the  soldiers  could  recover  breath  or  shelter  themselves 
from  the  tropical  cataracts  of  rain  which  fall  without  notice, 
as  if  the  string  had  been  pulled  of  some  celestial  shower  bath. 


The  Cantonments  at  St.  Lucia.  137 

The  trees  branched  thickly  over  it,  making  an  impenetrable 
shade,  till  we  emerged  on  the  plateau  at  the  top,  where  we 
were  on  comparatively  level  ground,  with  the  harbour  im- 
mediately at  our  feet.  The  situation  had  been  chosen  by  the 
French  when  St.  Lucia  was  theirs.  The  general’s  house,  now 
Mr.  Laborde’s  residence,  is  a long  airy  building  with  a deep 
colonnade,  the  drawing  and  dining  rooms  occupying  the  en- 
tire breadth  of  the  ground  floor,  with  doors  and  windows  on 
both  sides  for  coolness  and  air.  The  western  front  overlooked 
the  sea.  Behind  were  wooded  hills,  green  valleys,  a mountain 
range  in  the  background,  and  the  Pitons  blue  in  the  distance. 
As  we  were  before  our  time,  Mr.  Laborde  walked  me  out  to 
see  the  old  barracks,  magazines,  and  water  tanks.  They 
looked  neglected  and  dilapidated,  the  signs  of  decay  being 
partly  hid  by  the  creepers  with  which  the  walls  were  over- 
grown. The  soldiers’  quarters  were  occupied  for  the  time  by 
a resident  gentleman,  ■who  attended  to  the  essential  repairs 
and  prevented  the  snakes  from  taking  possession  as  they  were 
inclined  to  do.  I forget  how  many  of  the  fer  de  lance  sort 
he  told  me  he  had  killed  in  the  rooms  since  he  had  lived  in 
them. 

In  the  war  time  we  had  maintained  a large  establishment 
in  St.  Lucia  ; with  what  consequences  to  the  health  of  the 
troops  I could  not  clearly  make  out.  One  informant  told  me 
that  they  had  died  like  flies  of  yellow  fever,  and  that  the 
fields  adjoining  were  as  full  of  bodies  as  the  Brompton  ceme- 
tery ; another  that  yellow  fever  had  never  been  known  there 
or  any  dangerous  disorder ; and  that  if  we  wanted  a sanitary 
station  this  was  the  spot  for  it.  Many  thousands  of  pounds 
will  have  to  be  spent  there  before  the  troops  can  return  ; but 
that  is  our  way  with  the  colonies — to  change  our  minds  every 
ten  years,  to  do  and  undo,  and  do  again,  according  to  parlia- 
mentary humours,  while  John  Bull  pays  the  bill  patiently  for 
his  own  irresolution. 


138 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


The  fortress,  once  very  strong,  is  now  in  mins,  but,  I sup- 
pose, will  be  repaired  and  rearmed  unless  we  are  to  trust  to 
the  Yankees,  who  are  supposed  to  have  established  a Pax  Dei 
in  these  waters  and  will  permit  no  agressive  action  there 
either  by  us  or  against  us.  We  walked  round  the  walls  ; we 
saw  the  hill  a mile  off  from  which  Abercrombie  had  battered 
out  the  French,  having  dragged  his  guns  through  a roadless 
forest  to  a spot  to  which  there  seemed  no  access  except  on 
wings.  The  word  ‘impossible  ’ was  not  known  in  those  days. 
What  Englishmen  did  once  they  may  do  again  perhaps  if 
stormy  days  come  back.  The  ruins  themselves  were  silently 
impressive.  One  could  hear  the  note  of  the  old  bugles  as  they 
sounded  the  reveille  and  the  roaring  of  the  feu  dejoie  when 
the  shattered  prizes  were  brought  in  from  the  French  fleet. 
The  signs  of  what  once  had  been  were  still  visible  in  the  pa- 
rade ground,  in  the  large  mangoes  which  the  soldiers  had 
planted,  in  the  English  grass  which  they  had  introduced  and 
on  which  cattle  were  now  grazing.  There  was  a clump  of 
guavas,  hitherto  only  known  to  me  in  preserves.  I gathered 
a blossom  as  a remembrance,  white  like  a large  myrtle  flower, 
but  heavily  scented — too  heavily,  with  an  odour  of  death 
about  it. 

Mr.  Laborde’s  convei'sation  was  instructive.  His  enter- 
tainment of  us  was  all  which  our  acquired  West  Indian  fas- 
tidiousness could  desire.  The  inevitable  cigars  followed,  and 
Mr.  L.  gave  me  a beating  at  billiards.  There  were  some 
lively  young  ladies  in  the  party,  and  two  or  three  of  the  ship’s 
officers.  The  young  ones  played  lawn  tennis,  and  we  old  ones 
looked  on  and  wished  the  years  off  our  shoulders.  So  passed 
the  day.  The  sun  was  setting  when  we  mounted  to  ride 
down.  So  short  is  the  twilight  in  these  latitudes,  that  it  was 
dark  night  when  we  reached  the  town,  and  we  required  the 
light  of  the  stars  to  find  our  boat. 

When  the  coaling  process  was  finished,  the  ship  had  been 


A Casual  American. 


139 


washed  down  in  our  absence  and  was  anchored  off  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  dirt ; but  the  ports  were  shut ; the  windsails  had 
been  taken  down  ; the  air  in  the  cabins  was  stifling  ; so  I 
stayed  on  deck  till  midnight  with  a clever  young  American, 
who  was  among  our  fellow-passengers,  talking  of  many  things. 
He  was  ardent,  confident,  self-asserting,  but  not  disagreeably 
either  one  or  the  other.  It  was  rather  a pleasure  to  hear  a 
man  speak  in  these  flabby  uncertain  days  as  if  he  were  sure 
of  anything,  and  I had  to  notice  again,  as  I had  often  noticed 
before,  how  well  informed  casual  American  travellers  are  on 
public  affairs,  and  how  sensibly  they  can  talk  of  them.  He 
had  been  much  in  the  West  Indies,  and  seemed  to  know  them 
well.  He  said  that  all  the  whites  in  the  islands  wished  at  the 
bottom  of  their  hearts  to  be  taken  into  the  Union  ; but  the 
Union  Government  was  too  wise  to  meddle  with  them.  The 
trade  would  fall  to  America  of  itself.  The  responsibility  and 
trouble  might  remain  where  it  was.  I asked  him  about  the 
Canadian  fishery  disputes.  He  thought  it  would  settle  itself 
in  time,  and  that  nothing  serious  would  come  of  it.  ‘ The 
Washington  Cabinet  had  been  a little  hard  on  England,’  he 
admitted  ; ‘ but  it  was  sis  of  one  and  half  a dozen  of  the 
other.’  ‘Honours  were  easy;  neither  party  could  score.’ 
‘We  had  been  equally  hard  on  them  about  Alaska.’ 

He  was  less  satisfied  about  Ireland.  The  telegraph  had 
brought  the  news  of  Mr.  Goschen’s  defeat  at  Liverpool,  and 
Home  Rule,  which  had  seemed  to  have  been  disposed  of,  was 
again  within  the  range  of  probabilities.  He  was  watching 
with  pitying  amusement,  like  most  of  his  countrymen,  the 
weakness  of  will  with  which  England  allowed  herself  to  be 
worried  by  so  contemptible  a business  ; but  he  did  seem  to 
fear,  and  I have  heard  others  of  his  countrymen  say  the 
same,  that  if  we  let  it  go  on  much  longer  the  Americans  may 
become  involved  in  the  thing  one  way  or  another,  and  trouble 
may  rise  about  it  between  the  two  countries. 


14:0  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

We  weighed  ; and  I went  to  bed  and  to  sleep,  and  so 
missed  Pigeon  Island,  where  Rodney’s  fleet  lay  before  the 
action,  and  the  rock  from  which,  through  his  telescope,  he 
watched  lie  Grasse  come  out  of  Martinique,  and  gave  his 
own  signal  to  chase.  We  rolled  as  usual  between  the  islands. 
At  daylight  we  were  again  in  shelter  under  Martinique,  and 
again  in  classic  regions  ; for  close  to  us  was  Diamond  Rock 
— once  his  Majesty’s  ship  ‘Diamond,’  commissioned  with 
crew  and  officers — -one  of  those  curious  true  incidents,  out  of 
which  a legend  might  have  grown  in  other  times,  that  ship 
and  mariners  had  been  turned  to  stone.  The  rock,  a lonely 
pyramid  six  hundred  feet  high,  commanded  the  entrance  to 
Port  Royal  in  Martinique.  Lord  Howe  took  possession  of  it, 
sent  guns  up  in  slings  to  the  top,  and  left  a midshipman  with 
a handful  of  men  in  charge.  The  gallant  little  fellow  held 
his  fortress  for  several  months,  peppered  away  at  the  French, 
and  sent  three  of  their  ships  of  war  to  the  bottom.  He  was 
blockaded  at  last  by  an  overwhelming  force.  No  relief  could 
be  spared  for  him.  Escape  was  impossible,  as  he  had  not  so 
much  as  a boat,  and  he  capitulated  to  famine. 

We  stayed  two  hours  under  Martinique.  I did  not  land. 
It  has  been  for  centuries  a special  object  of  care  on  the  part 
of  the  French  Government.  It  is  well  looked  after,  and,  con- 
sidering the  times,  prosperous.  It  has  a fine  garrison,  and  a 
dockyard  well  furnished,  with  frigates  in  the  harbours  ready 
for  action  should  occasion  arise.  I should  infer  from  what  I 
heard  that  in  the  event  of  war  breaking  out  between  England 
and  France,  Martinique,  in  the  present  state  of  preparation 
on  both  sides,  might  take  possession  of  the  rest  of  the  An- 
tilles with  little  difficulty.  Three  times  we  took  it,  and  we 
gave  it  back  again.  In  turn,  it  may  one  day,  perhaps,  take 
us,  and  the  English  of  the  West  Indies  become  a tradition 
like  the  buccaneers. 

The  mountains  of  Dominica  are  full  in  sight  from  Marti- 


141 


First  Sight  of  Dominica. 

nique.  The  channel  which  separates  them  is  but  thirty  miles 
across,  and  the  view  of  Dominica  as  you  approach  it  is  ex- 
tremely grand.  Grenada,  St.  Vincent,  St.  Lucia,  Martinique 
are  all  volcanic,  with  lofty  peaks  and  ridges  ; but  Dominica 
was  at  the  centre  of  the  force  which  lifted  the  Antilles  out  of 
the  ocean,  and  the  features  which  are  common  to  all  are  there 
in  a magnified  form.  The  mountains  range  from  four  to  five 
thousand  feet  in  height.  Mount  Diablot,  the  highest  of  them, 
rises  to  between  five  and  six  thousand  feet.  The  mountains 
being  the  tallest  in  all  the  group,  the  rains  are  also  the  most 
violent,  and  the  ravines  torn  out  by  the  torrents  are  the  wild- 
est and  most  magnificent.  The  volcanic  forces  are  still  active 
there.  There  are  sulphur  springs  and  boiling  water  foun- 
tains, and  in  a central  crater  there  is  a boiling  lake.  There 
are  strange  creatures  there  besides  : great  snakes — harmless, 
but  ugly  to  look  at ; the  diablot — from  which  the  mountain 
takes  its  name— a great  bird,  black  as  charcoal,  half  raven, 
half  parrot,  which  nests  in  holes  in  the  ground  as  puffins  do, 
spends  all  the  day  in  them,  and  flies  down  to  the  sea  at  night 
to  fish  for  its  food.  There  were  onee  great  numbers  of  these 
creatures,  and  it  was  a favourite  amusement  to  hunt  and  drag 
them  out  of  their  hiding  places.  Labat  says  that  they  were 
excellent  eating.  They  are  confined  now  in  reduced  num- 
bers to  the  inaccessible  crags  about  the  peak  which  bears 
their  name. 

Martinique  has  two  fine  harbours.  Dominica  has  none. 
At  the  north  end  of  the  island  there  is  a bay,  named  after 
Prince  Rupert,  where  there  is  shelter  from  all  winds  but  the 
south,  but  neither  there  nor  anywhere  is  there  an  anchorage 
which  can  be  depended  upon  in  dangerous  weather. 

Roseau,  the  principal  or  only  town,  stands  midway  along 
the  western  shore.  The  roadstead  is  open,  but  as  the  pre- 
vailing winds  are  from  the  east  the  island  itself  forms  a 
breakwater.  Except  on  the  rarest  occasions  there  is  neither 


142 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


surf  nor  swell  there.  The  land  shelves  off  rapidly,  and  a 
gunshot  from  shore  no  cable  can  find  the  bottom,  but  there 
is  an  anchorage  in  front  of  the  town,  and  coasting  smacks, 
American  schooners,  passing  steamers  bring  up  close  under 
the  rocks  or  alongside  of  the  jetties  which  are  built  out  from 
the  beach  upon  piles. 

The  situation  of  Roseau  is  exceedingly  beautiful.  The  sea 
is,  if  possible,  a deeper  azure  even  than  at  St.  Lucia  ; the  air 
more  transparent ; the  forests  of  a lovelier  green  than  I ever 
saw  in  any  other  country.  Even  the  rain,  which  falls  in 
such  abundance,  falls  often  out  of  a clear  sky  as  if  not  to  in- 
terrupt the  sunshine,  and  a rainbow  almost  perpetually  hangs 
its  arch  over  the  island.  Roseau  itself  stands  on  a shallow 
promontory.  A long  terrace  of  tolerable-looking  houses 
faces  the  landing  place.  At  right  angles  to  the  terrace, 
straight  streets  strike  backwards  at  intervals,  palms  and 
bananas  breaking  the  lines  of  roof.  At  a little  distance,  you 
see  the  towers  of  the  old  French  Catholic  cathedral,  a smaller 
but  not  ungraceful-looking  Anglican  church,  and  to  the  right 
a fort,  or  the  ruins  of  one,  now  used  as  a police  barrack, 
over  which  flies  the  English  flag  as  the  symbol  of  our  titular 
dominion.  Beyond  the  fort  is  a public  garden  with  pretty 
trees  in  it  along  the  brow  of  a precipitous  cliff,  at  the  foot  of 
which,  when  we  landed,  lay  at  anchor  a couple  of  smart  Yan- 
kee schooners  and  half  a dozen  coasting  cutters,  while  round- 
ing inwards  behind  was  a long  shallow  bay  dotted  over  with 
the  sails  of  fishing  boats.  White  negro  villages  gleamed 
among  the  palms  along  the  shore,  and  wooded  mountains 
rose  immediately  above  them.  It  seemed  an  attractive,  inno- 
cent, sunny  sort  of  place,  very  pleasant  to  spend  a few  days  in, 
if  the  inner  side  of  things  corresponded  to  the  appearance. 
To  a looker-on  at  that  calm  scene  it  was  not  easy  to  realise 
the  desperate  battles  which  had  been  fought  for  the  posses- 
sion of  it,  the  gallant  lives  which  had  been  laid  down  under 


The  Dominican  Constitution. 


143 


the  walls  of  that  crumbling  castle.  These  cliffs  had  echoed 
the  roar  of  Rodney’s  guns  on  the  day  which  saved  the  British 
Empire,  and  the  island  I was  gazing  at  was  England’s  Salamis. 

The  organisation  of  the  place,  too,  seemed,  so  far  as  I 
could  gather  from  official  books,  to  have  been  carefully  at- 
tended to.  The  constitution  had  been  touched  and  re- 
touched by  the  home  authorities  as  if  no  pains  could  be  too 
great  to  make  it  worthy  of  a spot  so  sacred.  There  is  an 
administrator,  which  is  a longer  word  than  governor.  There 
is  an  executive  council,  a colonial  secretary,  an  attorney-gen- 
eral, an  auditor-general,  and  other  such  ‘ generals  of  great 
charge.’  There  is  a legislative  assembly  of  fourteen  mem- 
bers, seven  nominated  by  the  Crown  and  seven  elected  by 
the  people.  And  there  are  revenue  officers  and  excise  offi- 
cers, inspectors  of  roads,  and  civil  engineers,  and  school 
boards,  and  medical  officers,  and  registrars,  and  magistrates. 
Where  would  political  perfection  be  found  if  not  here  with 
such  elaborate  machinery  ? 

The  results  of  it  all,  in  the  official  reports,  seemed  equally 
satisfactory  till  you  looked  closely  into  them.  The  tariff  of 
articles  on  which  duties  were  levied,  and  the  list  of  articles 
raised  and  exported,  seemed  to  show  that  Dominica  must  bo 
a beehive  of  industry  and  productiveness.  The  revenue, 
indeed,  was  a little  startling  as  the  result  of  this  army  of 
officials.  Eighteen  thousand  pounds  wTas  the  whole  of  it, 
not  enough  to  pay  their  salaries.  The  population,  too,  on 
whose  good  government  so  much  thought  had  been  ex- 
pended, was  only  30,000  ; of  these  30,000  only  a hundred 
were  English.  The  remaining  whites,  and  those  in  scanty 
numbers,  were  French  and  Catholics.  The  soil  was  as  rich 
as  the  richest  in  the  world.  The  cultivation  was  growing 
annually  less.  The  inspector  of  roads  was  likely  to  have  an 
easy  task,  for  except  close  to  the  town  there  were  no  roads 
at  all  on  which  anything  with  wheels  could  travel,  the  old 


144  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

roads  made  by  tbe  French  having  dropped  into  horse  tracks, 
and  the  horse  tracks  into  the  beds  of  torrents.  Why  in  an 
island  where  the  resources  of  modern  statesmanship  had 
been  applied  so  lavishly  and  with  the  latest  discoveries  in 
political  science,  the  effect  should  have  so  ill  corresponded 
to  the  means  employed,  was  a problem  into  which  it  would 
be  curious  to  inquire. 

The  steamer  set  me  down  upon  the  pier  and  went  on  upon 
its  way.  At  the  end  of  a fortnight  it  would  return  and  pick 
me  up  again.  Meanwhile,  I was  to  make  the  best  of  my 
time.  I had  been  warned  beforehand  that  there  was  no  hotel 
in  Roseau  where  an  Englishman  with  a susceptible  skin  and 
palate  could  survive  more  than  a week  ; and  as  I had  two 
weeks  to  provide  for,  I was  uncertain  what  to  do  with  my- 
self. I was  spared  the  trial  of  the  hotels  by  the  liberality  of 
her  Majesty’s  representative  in  the  colony.  Captain  Church- 
ill, the  administrator  of  the  island,  had  heard  that  I was 
coming  there,  and  I was  met  on  the  landing  stage  by  a mes- 
sage from  him  inviting  me  to  be  his  guest  during  my  stay. 
Two  tall  handsome  black  girls  seized  my  bags,  tossed  them 
on  their  heads,  and  strode  off  with  a light  step  in  front  of 
me,  cutting  jokes  with  their  friends  ; I following,  and  my 
mind  misgiving  me  that  I was  myself  the  object  of  their  wit. 

I was  anxious  to  see  Captain  Churchill,  for  I had  heard 
much  of  him.  The  warmest  affection  had  been  expressed 
for  him  personally,  and  concern  for  the  position  in  which 
he  was  placed.  Notwithstanding  ‘ the  latest  discoveries  of 
political  science,’  the  constitution  was  still  imperfect.  The 
administrator,  to  begin  with,  is  allowed  a salary  of  only 
50(F.  a year.  That  is  not  much  for  the  chief  of  such  an 
army  of  officials  ; and  the  hospitalities  and  social  civilities 
which  smooth  the  way  in  such  situations  are  beyond  his 
means.  His  business  is  to  preside  at  the  council,  where,  the 
official  and  the  elected  members  being  equally  balanced  and 


The  Dominican  Constitution. 


145 


almost  invariably  dividing  one  against  the  other,  his  duty  is 
to  give  the  casting  vote.  He  cannot  give  it  against  his  own 
officers,  and  thus  the  machine  is  contrived  to  create  the 
largest  amount  of  friction,  and  to  insure  the  highest  amount 
of  unpopularity  to  the  administrator.  His  situation  is  the 
more  difficult  because  the  European  element  in  Roseau, 
small  as  it  is  at  best,  is  more  French  than  English.  The 
priests,  the  sisterhoods,  are  French  or  French-speaking.  A 
French  patois  is  the  language  of  the  blacks.  They  are 
almost  to  a man  Catholics,  and  to  the  French  they  look  as 
their  natural  leaders.  England  has  done  nothing,  absolutely 
nothing,  to  introduce  her  own  civilisation  ; and  thus  Do- 
minica is  English  only  in  name.  Should  war  come,  a boat- 
load of  soldiers  from  Martinique  would  suffice  to  recover  it. 
Not  a black  in  the  whole  island  would  draw  a trigger  in  de- 
fence of  English  authority,  and,  except  the  Crown  officials, 
not  half  a dozen  Europeans.  The  administrator  can  do 
nothing  to  improve  this  state  of  things.  He  is  too  poor  to 
open  Government  House  to  the  Roseau  shopkeepers  and  to 
bid  for  social  popularity.  He  is  no  one.  He  goes  in  and 
out  unnoticed,  and  flits  about  like  a bat  in  the  twilight.  He 
can  do  no  good,  and  from  the  nature  of  the  system  on  the 
construction  of  which  so  much  care  was  expended,  no  one 
else  can  do  any  good.  The  maximum  of  expense,  the  mini- 
mum of  benefit  to  the  island,  is  all  that  has  come  of  it. 

Meanwhile  the  island  drifts  along,  without  credit  to  borrow 
money  and  therefore  escaping  bankruptcy.  The  blacks  there, 
as  everywhere,  are  happy  with  their  yams  and  cocoa-nuts  and 
land  crabs.  They  desire  nothing  better  than  they  have,  and 
do  not  imagine  that  they  have  any  rulers  unless  agitated 
by  the  elected  members.  These  gentlemen  would  like  the 
official  situations  for  themselves  as  in  Trinidad,  and  they 
occasionally  attempt  a stir  with  partial  success ; otherwise 
the  island  goes  on  in  a state  of  torpid  content.  Captain 
10 


146  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

Churchill,  quiet  and  gentlemanlike,  gives  no  personal  offence, 
but  popularity  he  cannot  hope  for,  having  no  means  of  recom- 
mending himself.  The  only  really  powerful  Europeans  are 
the  Catholic  bishop  and  the  priests  and  sisterhoods.  They 
are  looked  up  to  with  genuine  respect.  They  are  reaping 
the  harvest  of  the  long  and  honourable  efforts  of  the  French 
clergy  in  all  their  West  Indian  possessions  to  make  the  blacks 
into  Catholic  Christians.  In  the  Christian  part  of  it  they 
have  succeeded  but  moderately  ; but  such  religion  as  exists 
in  the  island  is  mainly  what  they  have  introduced  and  taught, 
and  they  have  a distinct  influence  which  we  ourselves  have 
not  tried  to  rival. 

But  we  have  been  too  long  toiling  up  the  paved  road  to 
Captain  Churchill’s  house.  My  girl -porter  guides  led  me 
past  the  fort,  where  they  exchanged  shots  with  the  lounging 
black  police,  past  the  English  church,  which  stood  buried  in 
trees,  the  churchyard  prettily  planted  with  tropical  flowers. 
The  sun  was  dazzling,  the  heat  was  intense,  and  the  path 
which  led  through  it,  if  not  apparently  much  used,  looked 
shady  and  cool. 

A few  more  steps  brought  us  to  the  gate  of  the  Residence, 
where  Captain  Churchill  had  his  quarters  in  the  absence  of 
the  Governor-in-Chief  of  the  Leeward  Islands,  whose  visits 
were  few  and  brief.  In  the  event  of  the  Governor’s  arrival 
he  removed  to  a cottage  in  the  hills.  The  house  was  hand- 
some, the  gardens  well  kept ; a broad  walk  led  up  to  the 
door,  a hedge  of  lime  trees  closely  dipt  on  one  side  of  it,  on 
the  other  a lawn  with  orange  trees,  oleanders,  and  hibiscus, 
palms  of  all  varieties  and  almond  trees,  which  in  Dominica 
grow  into  giants,  their  broad  leaves  turning  crimson  before 
they  fall  like  the  Virginia  creeper.  We  x’eached  the  en- 
trance of  the  house  by  wide  stone  steps,  where  countless  liz- 
ards were  lazily  basking.  Through  the  bars  of  the  railings 
on  each  side  of  them  there  were  intertwined  the  runners  of 


147 


Captain  Churchill  and  his  Household. 

the  largest  and  most  powerfully  scented  stepliauotis  which  I 
have  even  seen.  Captain  Churchill  (one  of  the  Marlborough 
Churchills)  received  me  with  more  than  cordiality.  Society 
is  not  abundant  in  his  Barataria,  and  perhaps  as  coming  from 
England  I was  welcome  to  him  in  his  solitude.  His  wife,  an 
English  creole' — that  is,  of  pure  English  blood,  but  born  in 
the  island — was  as  hospitable  as  her  husband.  They  would 
not  let  me  feel  that  I was  a stranger,  and  set  me  at  my  ease 
in  a moment  with  a warmth  which  was  evidently  unassumed. 
Captain  C.  was  lame,  having  hurt  his  foot.  In  a day  or  two 
he  hoped  to  be  able  to  mount  his  horse  again,  when  we  were 
to  ride  together  and  see  the  curiosities.  Meanwhile,  he  talked 
sorrowfully  enough  of  his  own  situation  and  the  general  help- 
lessness of  it.  A man  whose  feet  are  chained  and  whose 
hands  are  in  manacles  is  not  to  be  found  fault  with  if  he  can- 
not use  either.  He  is  not  intended  to  use  either.  The  duty 
of  an  administrator  of  Dominica,  it  appears,  is  to  sit  still  and 
do  nothing,  and  to  watch  the  flickering  in  the  socket  of  the 
last  remains  of  English  influence  and  authority.  Individu- 
ally he  was  on  good  terms  with  every  one,  with  the  Catholic 
bishop  especially,  who,  to  his  regret  and  mine,  was  absent  at 
the  time  of  my  visit. 

His  establishment  was  remarkable  ; it  consisted  of  two 
black  girls — a cook  and  a parlourmaid — who  ‘ did  every- 
thing,’ and  ‘ everything,’  I am  bound  to  say,  was  done  well 
enough  to  please  the  most  fastidious  nicety.  The  cooking 
was  excellent.  The  rooms,  which  were  handsomely  fur- 
nished, were  kept  as  well  and  in  as  good  order  as  in  the 
Churchills’  ancesti’al  palace  at  Blenheim.  Dominica  has  a 
bad  name  for  vermin.  I had  been  threatened  with  centipedes 
and  scorpions  in  my  bedroom.  I had  been  warned  there,  as 
everywhere  in  the  West  Indies,  never  to  walk  across  a floor 
with  bare  feet,  lest  a land  crab  should  lay  hold  of  my  toe  or 
a jigger  should  bite  a hole  in  it,  lay  its  eggs  there,  and  bring 


148  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

me  into  the  hands  of  the  surgeon.  Never  while  I was  Cap- 
tain C.’s  guest  did  I see  either  centipede,  or  scorpion,  or 
jigger,  or  any  other  unclean  beast  in  any  room  of  which  these 
girls  had  charge.  Even  mosquitoes  did  not  trouble  me,  so 
shilf ully  and  carefully  they  arranged  the  curtains.  They  were 
dressed  in  the  fashion  of  the  French  islands,  something  like 
the  Moorish  slaves  whom  one  sees  in  pictures  of  Eastern 
palaces.  They  flitted  about  silent  on  their  shoeless  feet,  never 
stumbled,  or  upset  chairs  or  plates  or  dishes,  but  waited  noise- 
lessly like  a pair  of  elves,  and  were  always  in  their  place  when 
wanted.  One  had  heard  much  of  the  idleness  and  careless- 
ness of  negro  servants.  In  no  part  of  the  globe  have  I ever 
seen  household  work  done  so  well  by  two  pairs  of  hands. 
Of  their  morals  I know  nothing.  It  is  usually  said  that  negro 
girls  have  none.  They  appeared  to  me  to  be  perfectly  modest 
and  innocent.  I asked  in  wonder  what  wrages  were  paid  to 
these  black  fairies,  believing  that  at  no  price  at  all  could  the 
match  of  them  be  found  in  England.  I was  informed  that 
they  had  three  shillings  a week  each,  and  ‘ found  themselves,’ 
i.e.  found  their  own  food  and  clothes.  And  this  was  above  the 
usual  rate,  as  Government  House  was  expected  to  be  liberal. 
The  scale  of  wages  may  have  something  to  do  with  the  diffi- 
culty of  obtaining  labour  in  the  West  Indies.  I could  easily 
believe  the  truth  of  what  I had  been  often  told,  that  free  la- 
bour is  more  economical  to  the  employer  than  slave  labour. 

The  views  from  the  drawing-room  windows  were  enchant- 
ingly  beautiful.  It  is  not  the  form  only  in  these  West  Indian 
landscapes,  or  the  colour  only,  but  form  and  colour  seen 
through  an  atmosphere  of  very  peculiar  transparency.  On 
one  side  we  looked  up  a mountain  gorge,  the  slopes  covered 
with  forest ; a bold  lofty  crag  standing  out  from  them  brown 
and  bare,  and  the  mountain  ridge  behind  half  burred  in  mist. 
From  the  other  window  we  had  the  Botanical  Gardens,  the 
bay  beyond  them  sparkling  in  the  sunshine,  and  on  the 


View  from  the  Gardens. 


149 


farther  side  of  it,  a few  miles  off,  an  island  fortress  which 
the  Marquis  de  Bouille,  of  Revolution  notoriety,  took  from 
the  English  in  1778,  The  sea  stretched  out  blue  and  lovely 
under  the  fringe  of  sand,  box  trees,  and  almonds  which  grew 
along  the  edge  of  the  cliff.  The  air  was  perfumed  by  white 
acacia  flowers  sweeter  than  orange  blossom. 

Captain  C.  limped  down  with  me  into  the  gardens  for  a 
fuller  look  at  the  scene.  Dusky  fishermen  were  busy  with 
their  nets  catching  things  like  herrings,  Avhich  come  in  daily 
to  the  shore  to  escape  the  monsters  which  prey  upon  them. 
Canoes  on  the  old  Carib  pattern  were  slipping  along  outside, 
trailing  lines  for  kingfish  and  bonitos.  Others  were  setting 
baskets,  like  enormous  lobster  pots  or  hoop  nets — such  as  we 
use  to  catch  tench  in  English  ponds — these,  too,  a legacy  from 
the  Caribs,  made  of  strong  tough  cane.  At  the  foot  of  the 
cliff  were  the  smart  American  schooners  which  I had  seen  on 
landing- — broad-beamed,  shallow,  low  in  the  water,  with  heavy 
spars,  which  bring  Yankee  ‘ notions  ’ to  the  islands,  and  carry 
back  to  New  York  bananas  and  limes  and  pineapples.  There 
they  were,  models  of  Tom  Cringle’s  ‘Wave,’  airy  as  English 
yachts,  and  equal  to  anything  from  a smuggling  cruise  to  a 
race  for  a cup.  I could  have  gazed  for  ever,  so  beautiful,  so 
new,  so  like  a dream  it  was,  had  I not  been  brought  back 
swiftly  to  prose  and  reality.  Suddenly  out  of  a clear  sky, 
without  notice  and  without  provocation,  first  a few  drops  of 
rain  fell,  and  then  a deluge  which  set  the  gutters  running. 
We  had  to  scuttle  home  under  our  umbrellas.  I was  told, 
and  I discovered  afterwards  by  fuller  experience,  that  this 
was  the  way  in  Dominica,  and  that  if  I went  out  anywhere  I 
must  be  prepared  for  it.  In  our  retreat  we  encountered  a 
distinguished-looking  abbe  with  a collar  and  a gold  cross, 
who  bowed  to  my  companion.  I would  gladly  have  been 
introduced  to  him,  but  neither  he  nor  we  had  leisure  for 
courtesies  in  the  torrent  which  was  falling  upon  us. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Curiosities  in  Dominica — Nights  in  the  tropics— English  and  Catholic 
churches — The  market  place  at  Roseau — Fishing  extraordinary — A 
storm — Dominican  boatmen — Morning  walks — Effects  of  the  Lee- 
ward Islands  Confederation — An  estate  cultivated  as  it  ought  to  be — 
A mountain  ride — Leave  the  island — Reflections. 

There  was  much  to  be  seen  in  Dominica  of  the  sort  which 
travellers  go  in  search  of.  There  was  the  hot  sulphur  spring 
in  the  mountains  ; there  was  the  hot  lake  ; there  was  an- 
other volcanic  crater,  a hollow  in  the  centre  of  the  island 
now  filled  with  water  and  surrounded  with  forest ; there 
were  the  Caribs,  some  thirty  families  of  them  living  among 
thickets,  through  which  paths  must  be  cut  before  we  could 
reach  them.  We  could  undertake  nothing  till  Captain  C. 
could  ride  again.  Distant  expeditions  can  only  be  attempted 
on  horses.  They  are  bred  to  the  work.  They  climb  like 
cats,  and  step  out  safely  where  a fall  or  a twisted  ankle 
would  be  the  probable  consequence  of  attempting  to  go  on 
foot.  Meanwhile,  Roseau  itself  was  to  be  seen  and  the  im- 
mediate neighbourhood,  and  this  I could  manage  for  myself. 

My  first  night  was  disturbed  by  unfamiliar  noises  and 
strange  imaginations.  I escaped  mosquitoes  through  the 
care  of  the  black  fairies.  But  mosquito  curtains  will  not 
keep  out  sounds,  and  when  the  fireflies  had  put  out  their 
lights  there  began  the  singular  chorus  of  tropical  midnight. 
Frogs,  lizards,  bats,  croaked,  sang,  and  hissed  with  no  inter- 
mission, careless  whether  they  were  in  discord  or  harmony. 
The  palm  branches  outside  my  window  swayed  in  the  land 


151 


Night  Sounds. 

breeze,  and  the  dry  branches  rustled  crisply  as  if  they  were 
plates  of  silver.  At  intervals  came  cataracts  of  rain,  and 
above  all  the  rest  the  deep  boom  of  the  cathedral  bell  tolling 
out  the  hours  like  a note  of  the  Old  World.  The  Catholic 
clergy  had  brought  the  bells  with  them  as  they  had  brought 
their  faith  into  these  new  lands.  It  was  pathetic,  it  was 
ominous  music ; for  what  had  we  done  and  what  were  we 
doing  to  set  beside  it  in  the  century  for  which  the  island  had 
been  ours  ? Towards  morning  I heard  the  tinkle  of  the  bell 
of  the  convent  adjoining  the  garden  calling  the  nuns  to  matins. 
Happily  in  the  tropics  hot  nights  do  not  imply  an  early  dawn. 
The  darkness  lingers  late,  sleep  comes  at  last  and  drowns  our 
fancies  in  forgetfulness. 

The  swimming  bath  was  immediately  under  my  room.  I 
ventured  into  it  with  some  trepidation.  The  basement  story 
in  most  West  Indian  houses  is  open,  to  allow  the  air  free  pas- 
sage under  them.  The  space  thus  left  vacant  is  used  for  lum- 
ber and  rubbish,  and,  if  scorpions  or  snakes  are  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, is  the  place  where  one  would  look  for  them. 
There  the  bath  was.  I had  been  advised  to  be  careful,  and 
as  it  was  dark  this  was  not  easy.  The  fear,  however,  was 
worse  than  the  reality.  Awkward  encounters  do  happen  if 
one  is  long  in  these  countries  ; but  they  are  rare,  and  seldom 
befall  the  accidental  visitor  ; and  the  plunge  into  fresh  water 
is  so  delicious  that  one  is  willing  to  risk  the  chance. 

I wandered  out  as  soou  as  the  sun  was  over  the  horizon. 
The  cool  of  the  morning  is  the  time  to  see  the  people.  The 
market  girls  were  streaming  into  the  town  with  their  baskets 
of  vegetables  on  their  heads.  The  fishing  boats  were  out 
again  on  the  bay.  Our  Anglican  church  had  its  bell  too  as 
well  as  the  cathedral.  Tho  door  was  open,  and  I went  in 
and  found  a decent-looking  clergyman  preparing  a flock  of 
seven  or  eight  blacks  and  mulattoes  for  the  Communion.  He 
was  taking  them  through  their  catechism,  explaining  very 


152  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

properly  that  religion  meant  doing  one’s  duty,  and  that  it  was 
not  enough  to  profess  particular  opinions.  Dominica  being 
Roman  Catholic,  and  Roman  Catholics  not  generally  appreci- 
ating or  understanding  the  claims  of  Anglicans  to  the  posses- 
sion of  the  sacraments,  he  pointed  out  where  the  difference 
lay.  He  insisted  that  we  had  priests  as  well  as  they  ; we  had 
confession ; we  had  absolution ; only  our  priests  did  not 
claim,  as  the  Catholics  did,  a direct  power  in  themselves  to 
forgive  sins.  Their  office  was  to  tell  sinners  that  if  they  truly 
and  sincerely  repented  and  amended  their  lives  God  would 
forgive  them.  AVhat  he  said  was  absolutely  true  ; but  I could 
not  see  in  the  dim  faces  of  the  catechumens  that  the  distinc- 
tion was  particularly  intelligible  to  them.  If  they  thought  at 
all,  they  probably  reflected  that  no  divinely  constituted  suc- 
cessor of  the  Apostles  was  needed  to  communicate  a truism 
which  every  sensible  person  was  equally  able  and  entitled  to 
tell  them.  Still  the  good  earnest  man  meant  well,  and  I 
wished  him  more  success  in  his  missionary  enterprise  than 
he  was  likely  to  find. 

From  the  Church  of  England  to  the  great  rival  establish- 
ment was  but  a few  minutes’  walk.  The  cathedral  was  five 
times  as  large,  at  least,  as  the  building  which  I had  just  left 
— old  in  age,  old  in  appearance,  with  the  usual  indifferent 
pictures  or  coloured  prints,  with  the  usual  decorated  altar, 
but  otherwise  simple  and  venerable.  There  was  no  service 
going  on,  for  it  Avas  a week-day  ; a few  old  men  and  women 
only  were  silently  saying  their  prayers.  On  Sundays  I was 
told  that  it  was  overflowing.  The  negro  morals  are  as  eman- 
cipated in  Dominica  as  in  the  rest  of  the  West  Indies.  Obeah 
is  not  forgotten  ; and  along  with  the  Catholic  religion  goes 
on  an  active  belief  in  magic  and  witchcraft.  But  their  relig- 
ion is  not  necessarily  a sham  to  them  ; it  was  the  same  in 
Europe  in  the  ages  of  faith.  Even  in  enlightened  Protestant 
countries  people  calling  themselves  Christians  believe  that 


153 


Streets  of  lioseau. 

the  spirits  of  the  dead  can  be  called  up  to  amuse  an  evening 
party.  The  blacks  in  this  respect  are  no  worse  than  their 
white  kinsmen.  The  priests  have  a genuine  human  hold  upon 
them  ; they  baptise  the  children  ; they  commit  the  dead  to 
the  cemetery  with  the  promise  of  immortality  ; they  are  per- 
sonally loved  and  respected  ; and  when  a young  couple  marry, 
as  they  seldom  but  occasionally  do,  it  is  to  the  priest  that 
they  apply  to  tie  them  together. 

From  the  cathedral  I wandered  through  the  streets  of 
Roseau  ; they  had  been  well  laid  out ; the  streets  themselves, 
and  the  roads  leading  to  them  from  the  country,  had  been 
carefully  paved,  and  spoke  of  a time  when  the  town  had  been 
full  of  life  and  vigour.  But  the  grass  was  growing  between 
the  stones,  and  the  houses  generally  were  dilapidated  and 
dirty.  A few  massive  stone  buildings  there  were,  on  which 
time  and  rain  had  made  no  impression  ; but  these  probably 
were  all  French — built  long  ago,  perhaps  in  the  days  of 
Labat  and  Madame  Ouvernard.  The  English  hand  had 
struck  the  island  with  paralysis.  The  British  flag  was  flying 
over  the  fort,  but  for  once  I had  no  pride  in  looking  at  it. 
The  fort  itself  was  falling  to  pieces,  like  the  fort  at  Grenada. 
The  stones  on  the  slope  on  which  it  stands  had  run  with  the 
blood  which  we  spilt  in  the  winning  of  it.  Dominica  had  then 
been  regarded  as  the  choicest  jewel  in  the  necklace  of  the  An- 
tilles. For  the  last  half-century  we  have  left  it  to  desolation, 
as  a child  leaves  a toy  that  it  is  tired  of. 

In  Roseau,  as  in  most  other  towns,  the  most  interesting 
spot  is  the  market.  There  you  see  the  produce  of  the  soil ; 
there  you  see  the  people  that  produce  it ; and  you  see  them, 
not  on  show,  as  in  church  on  Sundays,  but  in  their  active 
working  condition.  The  market  place  at  Roseau  is  a large 
square  court  close  to  the  sea,  well  paved,  surrounded  by  ware- 
houses, and  luxuriantly  shaded  by  large  overhanging  trees. 
Under  these  trees  were  hundreds  of  black  women,  young  and 


154'  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

old,  with  their  fish  and  fowls,  and  fruit  and  bread,  their  yams 
and  sweet  potatoes,  their  oranges  and  limes  and  plantains. 
They  had  walked  in  from  the  country  five  or  ten  miles  before 
sunrise  with  their  loaded  baskets  on  their  heads.  They 
would  walk  back  at  night  with  flour  or  salt  fish,  or  oil,  or 
whatever  they  happened  to  want.  I did  not  see  a single  sul- 
len face  among  them.  Their  figures  were  unconscious  of  lac- 
ing, and  their  feet  of  the  monstrosities  which  we  call  shoes. 
They  moved  with  the  lightness  and  elasticity  of  leopards.  I 
thought  that  I had  never  seen  in  any  drawing  room  in  Lon- 
don so  many  perfectly  graceful  forms.  They  could  not  mend 
their  faces,  but  even  in  some  of  these  there  was  a swarthy 
beauty.  The  hair  was  hopeless,  and  they  knew  it,  but  they 
turn  the  defect  into  an  ornament  by  the  coloured  handkerchief 
which  they  twist  about  their  heads,  leaving  the  ends  flowing. 
They  chattered  like  jackdaws  about  a church  tower.  Two  or 
three  of  the  best  looking,  seeing  that  I admired  them  a little, 
used  their  eyes  and  made  some  laughing  remarks.  They 
spoke  in  their  French  patois,  clipping  off  the  first  and  last 
syllables  of  the  words.  I but  half  understood  them,  and 
could  not  return  their  shots.  I can  only  say  that  if  their 
habits  were  as  loose  as  white  people  say  they  are,  I did  not 
see  a single  licentious  expression  either  in  face  or  manner. 
They  seemed  to  me  lighthearted,  merry,  innocent  young 
women,  as  free  from  any  thought  of  evil  as  the  peasant  girls 
in  Brittany. 

Two  middle-aged  dames  were  in  a state  of  violent  excite- 
ment about  some  subject  on  which  they  differed  in  opinion. 
A ring  gathered  about  them,  and  they  declaimed  at  one  an- 
other with  fiery  volubility.  It  did  not  go  beyond  words  ; but 
both  were  natural  orators,  throwing  their  heads  back,  waving 
their  arms,  limbs  and  chest  quivering  with  emotion.  There 
was  no  personal  abuse,  or  disposition  to  claw  each  other.  On 
both  sides  it  was  a rhetorical  outpouring  of  emotional  argu- 


MORNING  WALK,  DOMINICA. 


The  Market  Girls. 


155 


ment.  One  of  them,  a tall  pure  blood  negress,  black  as  if  she 
had  just  landed  from  Guinea,  began  at  last  to  get  the  best  of 
it.  Her  gesticulations  became  more  imposing.  She  shook 
her  finger.  Mandez  this,  she  said,  and  mandez  that,  till  she 
bore  her  antagonist  down  and  sent  her  flying.  The  audience 
then  melted  away,  and  I left  the  conqueror  standing  alone 
shooting  a last  volley  at  the  retreating  enemy  and  making- 
passionate  appeals  to  the  universe.  The  subject  of  the  dis- 
cussion was  a curious  one.  It  was  on  the  merits  of  race. 
The  defeated  champion  had  a taint  of  white  blood  in  her. 
The  black  woman  insisted  that  blacks  were  of  pure  breed, 
and  whites  were  of  pure  breed.  Mulattoes  were  mongrels, 
not  creatures  of  God  at  all,  but  creatures  of  human  wicked- 
ness. I do  not  suppose  that  the  mulatto  was  convinced,  but 
she  accepted  her  defeat.  The  conqueror,  it  was  quite  clear, 
was  satisfied  that  she  had  the  best  of  the  discussion,  and  that 
the  hearers  were  of  the  same  opinion. 

From  the  market  I stepped  back  upon  the  quay,  where  I 
had  the  luck  to  witness  a novel  form  of  fishing,  the  most  sin- 
gular that  I have  ever  fallen  in  with.  I have  mentioned  the 
herring-sized  white  fish  which  come  in  upon  the  shore  of  the 
island.  They  travel,  as  most  small  fish  do,  in  enormous 
shoals,  and  keep,  I suppose,  in  the  shallow  waters  to  avoid 
the  kingfish  and  bonitos,  who  are  good  judges  in  their  way, 
and  find  these  small  creatures  exceptionally  excellent.  The 
wooden  pier  ran  out  perhaps  a hundred  and  fifty  feet  into 
the  sea.  It  was  a platform  standing  on  piles,  with  openings 
in  several  places  from  which  stairs  led  down  to  landing  stages. 
The  depth  at  the  extremity  was  about  five  fathoms.  There 
is  little  or  no  tide,  the  difference  between  high  water  and  low 
being  not  more  than  a couple  of  feet.  Looking  down  the 
staircases,  I saw  among  the  piles  in  the  brilliantly  clear 
water  unnumbered  thousands  of  the  fish  which  I have  de- 
scribed. The  fishermen  had  carried  a long  net  round  the 


156 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

platform  from  shore  to  shore,  completely  inclosing  it.  The 
fish  were  shut  in,  and  had  no  means  of  escape  except  at  the 
shore  end,  where  boys  were  busy  driving  them  back  with 
stones  ; but  how  the  net  was  to  be  drawn  among  the  piles, 
or  what  was  to  be  done  next,  I was  curious  to  learn.  I was 
not  left  long  to  conjecture.  A circular  bag  net  was  produced, 
made  of  fine  strong  thread,  coloured  a light  green,  and 
almost  invisible  in  the  sea.  When  it  was  spread,  one  side 
could  be  left  open  and  could  be  closed  at  will  by  a running 
line  from  above.  This  net  was  let  carefully  down  between 
the  piles,  and  was  immediately  swollen  out  by  the  current 
which  runs  along  the  coast  into  a deep  bay.  Two  young 
blacks  then  dived ; one  saw  them  swimming  about  under 
water  like  sharks,  hunting  the  fish  befoi’e  them  as  a dog 
would  hunt  a flock  of  sheep.  Their  companions,  who  were 
watching  from  the  platform,  waited  till  they  saw  as  many 
driven  into  the  purse  of  the  inner  net  as  they  could  trust  the 
meshes  to  bear  the  weight  of.  The  cord  was  then  drawn. 
The  net  was  closed.  Net  and  all  that  it  contained  were 
hoisted  into  a boat,  carried  ashore  and  emptied.  The  net 
itself  was  then  brought  back  and  spread  again  for  a fresh 
haul.  In  this  way  I saw  as  many  fish  caught  as  would  have 
filled  a large  cart.  The  contrivance,  I believe,  is  one  more 
inheritance  from  the  Caribs,  whom  Labat  describes  as  doing 
something  of  a similar  kind. 

Another  small  incident  happened  a day  or  two  after,  which 
showed  the  capital  stuff  of  which  the  Dominican  boatmen 
and  fishermen  are  made.  They  build  their  own  vessels  large 
and  small,  and  sail  them  themselves,  not  afraid  of  the  wildest 
weather,  and  doing  the  local  trade  with  Martinique  and 
Guadaloupe.  Four  of  these  smacks,  cutter-rigged,  from  ten 
to  twenty  tons  burden,  I had  seen  lying  at  anchor  one  even- 
ing with  an  American  schooner  under  the  gardens.  In  the 
night,  the  off-shore  wind  rose  into  one  of  those  short  violent 


Dominican  Boatmen. 


157 


tropical  storms  which  if  they  lasted  longer  would  be  called 
hurricanes,  but  in  these  winter  months  are  soon  over.  It 
came  on  at  midnight,  and  lasted  for  two  hours.  The  noise 
woke  me,  for  the  house  shook,  and  the  roar  was  like  Niagara. 
It  was  too  dark,  however,  to  see  anything.  It  died  away  at 
last,  and  I slept  till  daybreak.  My  first  thought  on  waking 
was  for  the  smacks  and  the  schooner.  Had  they  sunk  at 
their  moorings  ? Had  they  broken  loose,  or  what  had  become 
of  them  ? I got  up  and  went  down  to  the  cliff  to  see.  The 
damage  to  the  trees  had  been  less  than  I expected.  A few 
torn  branches  lay  on  the  lawn  and  the  leaves  were  cast 
about,  but  the  anchorage  was  empty.  Every  vessel  of  every 
sort  and  size  was  gone.  There  was  still  a moderate  gale 
blowing.  As  the  wind  was  off-shore  the  sea  was  tolerably 
smooth  for  a mile  or  two,  but  outside  tho  waves  were  break- 
ing violently,  and  the  foam  scuds  were  whirling  off  their 
crests.  The  schooner  was  about  four  miles  off,  beating  back 
under  storm  canvas,  making  good  weather  of  it  and  promis- 
ing in  a tack  or  two  to  recover  the  moorings.  The  smacks, 
being  less  powerful  vessels,  had  been  driven  farther  out  to 
sea.  Three  of  them  I saw  labouring  heavily  in  the  offing. 
The  fourth  I thought  at  first  had  disappeared  altogether,  but 
finally  I made  out  a white  speck  on  the  horizon  which  I sup- 
posed to  be  the  missing  cutter.  One  of  the  first  three  pres- 
ently dropped  away  to  leeward,  and  I lost  sight  of  her.  The 
rest  made  their  way  back  in  good  time.  Towards  the  after- 
noon when  the  wind  had  gone  down  the  two  that  remained 
came  in  after  them,  and  before  night  they  were  all  in  their 
places  again. 

The  gale  had  struck  them  at  about  midnight.  Their  cables 
had  parted,  and  they  had  been  blown  away  to  sea.  The 
crews  of  the  schooner  and  of  three  of  the  cutters  were  all  on 
board.  They  got  their  vessels  under  command,  and  had  been 
in  no  serious  danger.  In  the  fourth  there  was  no  one  but  a 


158  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

small  black  boy  of  the  island.  He  bad  been  asleep,  and  woke 
to  find  himself  driving  before  the  wind.  In  an  hour  or  two 
he  would  have  been  beyond  the  shelter  of  the  land,  and  in 
the  high  seas  which  then  were  running  must  have  been  inevi- 
tably swamped.  The  little  fellow  contrived  in  the  darkness 
■ — no  one  could  tell  how — to  set  a scrap  of  his  mainsail,  get 
his  staysail  up,  and  in  this  condition  to  lie  head  to  the  wind. 
So  handled,  small  cutters,  if  they  have  a deck  over  them,  can 
ride  out  an  ordinary  gale  in  tolerable  security.  They  drift, 
of  course  ; in  a hurricane  the  only  safety  is  in  yielding  to  it ; 
but  they  make  fair  resistance,  and  the  speed  is  checked. 
The  most  practical  seaman  could  have  done  no  better  than 
this  boy.  He  had  to  wait  for  help  in  the  morning.  He  was 
not  strong  enough  to  set  his  canvas  properly,  and  work  his 
boat  home.  He  would  have  been  driven  out  at  last,  and  as 
he  had  neither  food  nor  water  would  have  been  starved  had 
he  escaped  drowning.  But  his  three  consorts  saw  him. 
They  knew  how  it  was,  and  one  of  them  went  back  to  his  as- 
sistance. 

I have  known  the  fishing  boys  of  the  English  Channel  all 
my  life  ; they  are  generally  skilful,  ready,  and  dai’ing  beyond 
their  years  ; but  I never  knew  one  lad  not  more  than  thirteen 
or  fourteen  years  old  who,  if  woke  out  of  his  sleep  by  a hur- 
ricane in  a dark  night  and  alone,  would  have  understood  so 
well  what  to  do,  or  have  done  it  so  effectually.  There  are 
plenty  more  of  such  black  boys  in  Dominica,  and  they  de- 
serve a better  fate  than  to  be  sent  drifting  before  constitu- 
tional whirlwinds  back  into  barbarism,  because  we,  on  whom 
their  fate  depends,  are  too  ignorant  or  too  careless  to  provide 
them  with  a tolerable  government. 

The  kind  Captain  Churchill,  finding  himself  tied  to  his 
chair,  and  wishing  to  give  me  every  assistance  towards  seeing 
the  island,  had  invited  a creole  gentleman  from  the  other  side 
of  it  to  stay  a few  days  with  us.  Mr.  F , a man  about 


Wall's  in  the  Neighbourhood.  159 

thirty,  was  one  of  the  few  survivors  from  among  the  planters  ; 
he  had  never  been  out  of  the  West  Indies,  but  was  a man  of 
honesty  and  intelligence,  could  use  his  eyes,  and  form  sound 
judgments  on  subjects  which  immediately  concerned  him.  I 
had  studied  Boseau  for  myself.  With  Mr.  F for  a com- 

panion, I made  acquaintance  with  the  environs.  We  started 
for  our  walks  at  daybreak,  in  the  cool  of  the  morning.  We 
climbed  cliffs,  we  rambled  on  the  rich  levels  about  the  rivei’, 
once  richly  cultivated,  and  even  now  the  soil  is  luxuriant  in 
neglect  ; a few  canefields  still  survive,  but  most  of  them  are 
turned  to  other  uses,  and  you  pass  wherever  you  go  the  ruins 
of  old  mills,  the  massive  foundations  of  ancient  warehouses, 
huge  hewn  stones  built  and  mortared  well  together,  telling 
what  once  had  been  ; the  mango  trees,  which  the  owners  had 
planted,  waving  green  over  the  wrecks  of  their  forgotten  in- 
dustry. Such  industry  as  is  now  to  be  found  is,  as  elsewhere 
in  general,  the  industry  of  the  black  peasantry.  It  is  the 
same  as  in  Grenada  : the  whites,  or  the  English  part  of  them, 
have  lost  heart,  and  cease  to  struggle  against  the  stream.  A 
state  of  things  more  hopelessly  provoking  was  never  seen. 
Skill  and  capital  and  labour  have  only  to  be  brought  to  bear 
together,  and  the  land  might  be  a Garden  of  Eden.  All 
precious  fruits,  and  precious  spices,  and  gums,  and  plants  of 
rarest  medicinal  virtues  will  spring  and  grow  and  flourish  for 
the  asking.  The  limes  are  as  large  as  lemons,  and  in  the 
markets  of  the  United  States  are  considered  the  best  in  the 
world. 

As  to  natural  beauty,  the  West  Indian  Islands  are  like 
Scott’s  novels,  where  we  admire  most  the  one  which  we  have 
read  the  last.  But  Dominica  bears  the  palm  away  from  all  of 
them.  One  morning  Mr.  F took  me  a walk  up  the  Bo- 

seau Biver,  an  ample  stream  even  in  what  is  called  the  dry 
season,  with  deep  pools  full  of  eels  and  mullet.  We  entered 
among  the  hills  which  were  rising  steep  above  us.  The  val- 


160  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

ley  grew  deeper,  or  rather  there  were  a series  of  valleys, 
gorges  dense  with  forest,  which  had  been  torn  out  by  the 
cataracts.  The  path  was  like  the  mule  tracks  of  the  Alps,  cut 
in  other  days  along  the  sides  of  the  precipices  with  remnants 
of  old  conduits  which  supplied  water  to  the  mills  below. 
Rich  odorous  acacias  bent  over  us.  The  flowers,  the  trees, 
the  birds,  the  insects,  were  a maze  of  perfume  and  loveliness. 
Occasionally  some  valley  opposite  the  sun  would  be  spanned 
by  a rainbow  as  the  rays  shone  through  a morning  shower  out 
of  the  blue  sky.  We  wandered  on  and  on,  wading  through 
tributary  brooks,  stopping  every  minute  to  examine  some 
new  fern  or  plant,  peasant  women  and  children  meeting  us  at 
intervals  on  their  way  into  the  town.  There  were  trees  to  take 
shelter  under  when  indispensable,  which  even  the  rain  of 
Dominica  could  not  penetrate.  The  levels  at  the  bottom  of 
the  valleys  and  the  lower  slopes,  where  the  soil  was  favourable, 
were  carelessly  planted  with  limes  which  were  iu  full  bearing. 
Small  black  boys  and  girls  went  about  under  the  trees,  gath- 
ering the  large  lemon-shaped  fruit  which  lay  ou  the  ground 
thick  as  apples  in  a West  of  England  orchard.  Here  was  all 
this  profusion  of  nature,  lavish  beyond  all  example,  and  the 
enterprising  youth  of  England  were  neglecting  a colony 
which  might  yield  them  wealth  beyond  the  treasures  of  the 
old  sugar  planters,  going  to  Florida,  to  Texas,  to  South 
America,  taking  their  energy  and  their  capital  to  the  land  of 
the  foreigner,  leaving  Dominica,  which  might  be  the  garden 
of  the  world,  a precious  emerald  set  in  the  ring  of  their  own 
Antilles,  enriched  by  the  sacred  memories  of  glorious  English 
achievements,  as  if  such  a place  had  no  existence.  Dominica 
would  surrender  herself  to-morrow  with  a light  heart  to 
Frauce,  to  America,  to  any  country  which  would  accept  the 
charge  of  her  destinies.  Why  should  she  care  any  more  for 
England,  which  has  so  little  care  for  her?  Beauties  conscious 
of  their  charms  do  not  like  to  be  so  thrown  aside.  There  is 


English  Rule. 


161 


no  dislike  to  ns  among  the  blacks,  they  are  indifferent,  but 
even  their  indifference  would  be  changed  into  loyalty  if  we 
made  the  slightest  effort  to  recover  it.  The  poor  black  was  a 
faithful  servant  as  long  as  he  was  a slave.  As  a freeman  he  is 
conscious  of  his  inferiority  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  and 
would  attach  himself  to  a rational  white  employer  with  at 
least  as  much  fidelity  as  a spaniel.  Like  the  spaniel,  too,  if 
he  is  denied  the  chance  of  developing  under  guidance  the 
better  qualities  which  are  in  him,  he  will  drift  back  into  a 
mangy  cur. 

In  no  country  ought  a government  to  exist  for  which  re- 
spect is  impossible,  and  English  rule  as  it  exists  in  Dominica 
is  a subject  for  a comedy.  The  Governor-General  of  the 
Leeward  Islands  resides  in  Antigua,  and  in  theory  ought  to 
go  on  progress  and  visit  in  turn  his  subordinate  dominions. 
His  visits  are  rare  as  those  of  angels.  The  eminent  person, 
who  at  present  holds  that  high  office,  has  been  once  in  Nevis  ; 
and  thrice  in  Dominica,  but  only  for  the  briefest  stay  there. 
Perhaps  he  has  held  aloof  in  consequence  of  an  adventure 
which  befell  a visiting  governor  some  time  ago  on  one  of 
these  occasions.  "When  there  is  a constitution  there  is  an 
opposition.  If  there  are  no  grievances  the  opposition  manu- 
facture them,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Roseau  were  persuaded 
that  they  were  an  oppressed  people  and  required  fuller  lib- 
erties. I was  informed  that  His  Excellency  had  no  sooner 
landed  and  taken  possession  of  Government  House,  than  a 
mob  of  men  and  women  gathered  in  the  market  place  under 
the  leadership  of  their  elected  representative.  The  girls  that 
I had  admired  very  likely  made  a part  of  it.  They  swarmed 
up  into  the  gardens,  they  demonstrated  under  the  windows, 
laughing,  shouting,  and  petitioning.  His  Excellency  first 
barricaded  the  doors,  then  opened  them  and  tried  a speech, 
telling  the  dear  creatures  how  much  he  loved  and  respected 
them.  Probably  they  did  not  understand  him,  as  few  of 
11 


162  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

them  speak  English.  Producing  no  effect,  he  retreated 
again,  barred  the  doc  : once  more,  slipped  out  at  a back 
entrance  down  a lane  to  the  port,  took  refuge  on  board  his 
steamer,  and  disappeared.  So  the  story  was  told  me — not 
by  the  administrator,  who  was  not  a man  to  turn  English 
authority  into  ridicule — but  by  some  one  on  the  spot,  who 
repeated  the  current  report  of  the  adventure.  It  may  be  ex- 
aggerated in  some  features,  but  it  represents,  at  any  rate,  the 
feeling  of  the  place  towards  the  head  representative  of  the 
existing  government. 

I will  mention  another  incident,  said  to  have  occurred  still 
more  recently  to  one  of  these  great  persons,  very  like  what 
befell  Sancho  Panza  in  Barataria.  This,  too,  may  have  been 
wickedly  turned,  but  it  was  the  subject  of  general  talk  and 
general  amusement  on  board  the  steamers  which  make  the 
round  of  the  Antilles.  Universal  belief  is  a fact  of  its  kind, 
and  though  it  tends  to  shape  itself  in  dramatic  form  more 
completely  than  the  facts  justify,  there  is  usually  some  truth 
at  the  bottom  of  it.  The  telegrams  to  the  West  Indies  pass 
through  New  York,  and  often  pick  up  something  on  the  way. 
A warning  message  reached  a certain  colony  that  a Yankee- 
Irish  schooner  with  a Fenian  crew  was  coming  down  to  annex 
the  island,  or  at  least  to  kidnap  the  governor.  This  distin- 
guished gentleman  ought  perhaps  to  have  suspected  that  a 
joke  was  being  played  upon  his  fears  ; but  he  was  a landlord. 
A governor-general  had  been  threatened  seriously  in  Canada, 
why  not  he  in  the  Antilles  ? He  was  as  much  agitated  as 
Sancho  himself.  All  these  islands  were  and  are  entirely  un- 
defended save  by  a police  which  cannot  be  depended  on  to  re- 
sist a desperate  invasion.  They  were  called  out.  Bumour 
said  that  in  half  the  rifles  the  cartridges  were  found  afterwards 
inverted.  The  next  day  dispelled  the  alarm.  The  schooner 
was  the  creation  of  some  Irish  telegraph  clerk,  and  the  scare 
ended  in  laughter.  But  under  the  jest  lies  the  wretched  cer- 


163 


Effects  of  Confederation. 

taintv  that  the  Antilles  have  no  protection  except  in  their 
own  population,  and  so  little  to  thank  England  for  that 
scarcely  one  of  the  inhabitants,  except  the  officials,  would  lift 
a finger  to  save  the  connection. 

Once  more,  I tell  these  stories  not  as  if  they  were  authenti- 
cated facts,  but  as  evidence  of  the  scornful  feeling  towards 
English  authority.  The  current  belief  in  them  is  a fact  of  a 
kind  and  a very  serious  one. 

The  confederation  of  the  Leeward  Islands  may  have  been  a 
convenience  to  the  Colonial  Office,  and  may  have  allowed  a 
slight  diminution  in  the  cost  of  administration.  The  whole 
West  Indies  might  be  placed  under  a single  governor  with 
only  good  results  if  he  were  a real  one  like  the  Governor- 
General  at  Calcutta.  But  each  single  island  has  lost  from  the 
change,  so  far,  more  than  it  has  gained.  Each  ship  of  war 
has  a captain  of  its  own  and  officers  of  its  own  trained  spe- 
cially for  the  service.  If  the  Antilles  are  ever  to  thrive,  each 
of  them  also  should  have  some  trained  and  skilful  man  at  its 
head,  unembarrassed  by  local  elected  assemblies.  The  whites 
have  become  so  weak  that  they  would  welcome  the  aboli- 
tion of  such  assemblies.  The  blacks  do  not  care  for  politics, 
and  would  be  pleased  to  see  them  swept  away  to-morrow  if 
they  were  governed  wisely  and  fairly.  Of  course,  in  that 
case  it  would  be  necessary  to  appoint  governors  who  would 
command  confidence  and  respect.  But  let  governors  be  sent 
who  would  be  governors  indeed,  like  those  who  administer 
the  Indian  presidencies,  and  the  white  residents  would  gather 
heart  again,  and  English  and  American  capitalists  would 
bring  their  money  and  their  enterprise,  and  the  blacks  would 
grow  upwards  instead  of  downwards.  Let  us  persist  in  the 
other  line,  let  us  use  the  West  Indian  governments  as  asylums 
for  average  worthy  persons  who  have  to  be  provided  for,  and 
force  on  them  black  parliamentary  institutions  as  a remedy 
for  such  persons’  inefficiency,  and  these  beautiful  countries 


164  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

will  become  like  Hayti,  with  Obeah  triumphant,  and  children 
offered  to  the  devil  and  salted  and  eaten,  till  the  conscience  of 
mankind  wakes  again  and  the  Americans  sweep  them  all 
away. 

I had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  what  can  really  be  done  in 
Dominica  by  an  English  gentleman  who  has  gone  the  right 
way  to  work  there.  Dr.  Nicholls  came  out  a few  years  ago 
to  Roseau  as  a medical  officer.  He  was  described  to  me  as  a 
man  not  only  of  high  professional  skill,  but  with  considerable 
scientific  attainments.  Either  by  purchase  or  legacy  (I  think 
the  latter)  he  had  become  possessed  of  a small  estate  on  a 
hillside  a mile  or  two  from  the  town.  He  had  built  a house 
upon  it.  He  was  cultivating  the  soil  on  scientific  principles, 
and  had  politely  sent  me  an  invitation  to  call  on  him  and  see 
what  he  was  about.  I was  delighted  to  avail  myself  of  such  an 
opportunity. 

I do  not  know  the  exact  extent  of  the  property  which  was 
under  cultivation  ; perhaps  it  was  twenty-five  or  thirty  acres. 
The  chief  part  of  it  was  planted  with  lime  trees,  the  limes 
which  I saw  growing  being  as  large  as  moderate-sized  lem- 
ons ; most  of  the  rest  was  covered  with  Liberian  coffee,  which 
does  not  object  to  the  moist  climate,  and  was  growing  with 
profuse  luxuriance.  Each  tree,  each  plant  had  been  person- 
ally attended  to,  pruned  when  it  needed  pruning,  supported 
by  bamboos  if  it  was  overgrowing  its  strength,  while  the 
ground  about  the  house  was  consecrated  to  botanical  experi- 
ments, and  specimens  were  to  be  seen  there  of  every  tropical 
flower,  shrub,  or  tree,  which  was  either  remarkable  for  its 
beauty  or  valuable  for  its  chemical  properties.  His  limes  and 
coffee  went  principally  to  New  York,  where  they  had  won  a 
reputation,  and  were  in  special  demand  ; but  ingenuity  tries 
other  tracks  besides  the  beaten  one.  Dr.  Nicholls  had  a 
manufactory  of  citric  acid  which  had  been  found  equally  ex- 
cellent in  Europe.  Everything  Avhich  he  produced  was  turn- 


165 


Capabilities  of  the  Soil. 

ing  to  gold,  except  donkeys,  seven  or  eight  of  which  were 
feeding  under  his  windows,  and  which  multiplied  so  fast  that 
he  could  not  tell  what  to  do  with  them. 

Industries  so  various  and  so  active  required  labour,  and  I 
saw  many  of  the  blacks  at  work  with  him.  In  apparent  con- 
tradiction to  the  general  West  Indian  experience,  he  told  me 
that  he  had  never  found  a difficulty  about  it.  He  paid  them 
fair  wages,  and  paid  them  regularly  without  the  overseer’s 
fines  and  drawbacks.  He  knew  one  from  the  other  person- 
ally, could  call  each  by  his  name,  remembered  where  he  came 
from,  where  he  lived,  and  how,  and  could  joke  with  him 
about  his  wife  or  mistress.  They  in  consequence  clung  to 
him  with  an  innocent  affection,  stayed  with  him  all  the  week 
without  asking  for  holidays,  and  worked  with  interest  and 
goodwill.  Four  years  only  had  elapsed  since  Dr.  Nicholls 
commenced  his  undertakings,  and  he  already  saw  his  way  to 
clearing  a thousand  pounds  a year  on  that  one  small  patch 
of  acres.  I may  mention  that,  being  the  only  man  in  the 
island  of  really  superior  attainments,  he  had  tried  in  vain 
to  win  one  of  the  seats  in  the  elective  part  of  the  legislature. 

There  was  nothing  particularly  favourable  in  the  situation 
of  his  land.  All  parts  of  Dominica  would  respond  as  will- 
ingly to  similar  treatment.  What  could  be  the  reason,  Dr. 
Nicholls  asked  me,  why  young  Englishmen  went  planting  to 
so  many  other  countries,  went  even  to  Ceylon  and  Borneo, 
while  comparatively  at  their  own  doors,  within  a fortnight’s 
sail  of  Plymouth,  there  was  this  island  immeasurably  more 
fertile  than  either?  The  explanation,  I suppose,  is  the  mis- 
giving that  the  West  Indies  are  consigned  by  the  tendencies 
of  English  policy  to  the  black  population,  and  that  a local  gov- 
ernment created  by  representatives  of  the  negro  vote  would 
make  a residence  there  for  an  energetic  and  self-respecting 
European  less  tolerable  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  globe. 
The  republic  of  Hayti  not  only  excludes  a white  man  from 


1G6  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

any  share  of  the  administration,  but  forbids  his  acquisition 
or  possession  of  real  property  in  any  form.  Far  short 
of  such  extreme  provisions,  the  most  prosperous  industry 
might  be  blighted  by  taxation.  Self-government  is  a beauti- 
ful subject  for  oratorical  declamation.  If  the  fact  corre- 
sponded to  the  theory  and  if  the  possession  of  a vote  pro- 
duced the  elevating  effects  upon  the  character  which  are  so 
noisily  insisted  upon,  it  would  be  the  welcome  panacea  for 
political  and  social  disorder.  Unfortunately  the  fact  does 
not  correspond  to  the  theory.  The  possession  of  a vote 
never  improved  the  character  of  any  human  being  and  never 
will. 

There  are  many  islands  in  the  West  Indies,  and  an  experi- 
ment might  be  ventured  without  any  serious  risk.  Let  the 
suffrage  principle  be  applied  in  its  fulness  where  the  con- 
dition of  the  people  seems  best  to  promise  success.  In  some 
one  of  them — Dominica  would  do  as  well  as  any  other — let  a 
man  of  ability  and  character  with  an  ambition  to  distinguish 
himself  be  sent  to  govern  with  a free  hand.  Let  him  choose 
his  own  advisers,  let  him  be  untrammelled,  unless  he  falls 
into  fatal  and  inexcusable  errors,  with  interference  from 
home.  Let  him  have  time  to  carry  out  any  plans  which  he 
may  form,  without  fear  of  recall  at  the  end  of  the  normal 
period.  After  ten  or  fifteen  years,  let  the  results  of  the  two 
systems  be  compared  side  by  side.  I imagine  the  objection 
to  such  a trial  would  be  the  same  which  was  once  made  in 
my  hearing  by  an  Irish  friend  of  mine,  who  was  urging  on 
an  English  statesman  the  conversion  of  Ireland  into  a 
Crown  colony.  ‘ You  dare  not  try  it,’  he  said,  ‘ for  if  you 
did,  in  twenty  years  we  would  be  the  most  prosperous  isl- 
and of  the  two,  and  you  would  be  wanting  to  follow  our 
example.’ 

We  had  exhausted  the  neighbourhood  of  Roseau.  After  a 
few  days  Captain  C.  was  again  able  to  ride,  and  we  could 


A Mountain  Ride. 


167 


undertake  more  extended  expeditions.  He  provided  me  with 
a liorse  or  pony  or  something  between  both,  a creature  that 
would  climb  a stone  staircase  at  an  angle  of  forty -five,  or  slide 
down  a clay  slope  soaked  by  a tropical  shower,  with  the  same 
indifference  with  which  it  would  canter  along  a meadow.  In 
the  slave  times  cultivation  had  been  carried  up  into  the 
mountains.  There  were  the  old  tracks  through  the  forest 
engineered  along  the  edges  of  precipices,  torrents  roaring 
far  down  below,  and  tall  green  trees  standing  in  hollows 
underneath,  whose  top  branches  were  on  a level  with  our 
eyes.  We  had  to  ride  with  macintosh  and  umbrella,  pre- 
pared at  any  moment  to  have  the  floods  descend  upon  us. 
The  best  costume  would  be  none  at  all.  While  the  sun  is 
above  the  horizon  the  island  seems  to  lie  under  the  arches  of 
perpetual  rainbows.  One  gets  wet  and  one  dries  again,  and 
one  is  none  the  worse  for  the  adventure.  I had  heard  that  it 
was  dangerous.  It  did  no  harm  to  me.  A very  particular 
object  was  to  reach  the  crest  of  the  mountain  ridge  which 
divides  Dominica  down  the  middle.  We  saw  the  peaks  high 
above  us,  but  it  was  useless  to  try  the  ascent  if  one  could  see 
nothing  when  one  arrived,  and  mists  and  clouds  hung  about 
so  persistently  that  we  had  to  put  off  our  expedition  day 
after  day. 

A tolerable  morning  came  at  last.  We  started  early.  A 
faithful  black  youth  ran  alongside  of  the  horses  to  pick  us 
up  if  we  fell,  and  to  carry  the  indispensable  luncheon  basket. 
We  rode  through  the  town,  over  the  bridge  and  by  the  foot 
of  Dr.  Nicholls’s  plantations.  We  passed  through  lime  and 
banana  gardens  rising  slowly  along  the  side  of  a glen  above 
the  river.  The  road  had  been  made  by  the  French  long  ago, 
and  went  right  across  the  island.  It  had  once  been  carefully 
paved,  but  wet  and  neglect  had  loosened  the  stones  and  tum- 
bled them  out  of  their  places.  Trees  had  driven  their  roots 
through  the  middle  of  the  track.  Mountain  streams  had 


168  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

taken  advantage  of  convenient  cuttings  and  scooped  them 
into  waterways.  The  road  commissioner  on  the  official  staff 
seemed  a merely  ornamental  functionary.  We  could  only 
travel  at  a foot  pace  and  in  single  file.  Happily  our  horses 
were  used  to  it.  Along  this  road  in  1805  Sir  George  Prevost 
retreated  with  the  English  garrison  of  Roseau,  when  attacked 
in  force  from  Martinique  ; saved  his  men  and  saved  the  other 
part  of  the  island  till  relief  came  and  the  invaders  were 
driven  out  again.  That  was  the  last  of  the  fighting,  and  we 
have  been  left  since  in  undisturbed  possession.  Dominica 
was  then  sacred  as  the  scene  of  Rodney’s  glories.  Now  I 
suppose,  if  the  French  came  again,  we  should  calculate  the 
mercantile  value  of  the  place  to  us,  and  having  found  it  to  be 
nothing  at  all,  might  conclude  that  it  would  be  better  to  let 
them  keep  it. 

We  went  up  and  up,  winding  round  projecting  spurs  of 
mountain,  here  and  there  coming  on  plateaus  where  pio- 
neering blacks  were  clearing  patches  of  forest  for  their  yams 
and  coffee.  We  skirted  the  edge  of  a valley  several  miles 
across,  on  the  far  side  of  which  we  saw  the  steaming  of  the 
sulphur  springs,  and  beyond  and  above  it  a mountain  peak 
four  thousand  feet  high  and  clothed  with  timber  to  the  sum- 
mit. In  most  countries  the  vegetation  grows  thin  as  you  rise 
into  the  higher  altitudes.  Here  the  bush  only  seems  to  grow 
denser,  the  trees  grander  and  more  self-asserting,  the  orchids 
and  parasites  on  the  boughs  more  variously  brilliant.  There 
were  tree  ferns  less  splendid  than  those  in  New  Zealand  and 
Australia,  but  larger  than  any  one  can  see  in  English  hot- 
houses, wild  oranges  bending  under  the  weight  of  ripe  fruit 
which  was  glowing  on  their  branches,  wild  pines,  wild  be- 
gonias scattered  along  the  banks,  and  a singularly  brilliant 
plant  which  they  call  the  wild  plantain,  but  is  not  a plantain 
at  all,  with  large  broad  pointed  leaves  radiating  out  from  a 
centre  like  an  aloe’s,  and  a crimson  flower  stem  rising  up 


A Mountain  Ride. 


169 


straight  in  the  middle.  It  was  startling  to  see  such  insolent 
beauty  displaying  itself  indifferently  in  the  heart  of  the  wil- 
derness with  no  human  eye  to  look  at  it  unless  of  some  pass- 
ing black  or  wandering  Carib. 

The  track  had  been  carried  across  hot  streams  fresh  from 
boiling  springs,  and  along  the  edge  of  chasms  where  there 
was  scarcely  foothold  for  the  horses.  At  length  we  found 
ourselves  on  what  was  apparently  the  highest  point  of  the 
pass.  We  could  not  see  where  we  were  for  the  trees  and 
bushes  which  surrounded  us,  but  the  path  began  to  descend 
on  the  other  side.  Near  the  summit  was  a lake  formed  in  an 
old  volcanic  crater  which  we  had  come  specially  to  look  at. 
We  descended  a few  hundred  feet  into  a hollow  among  the 
hills  where  the  lake  was  said  to  be.  Where  was  it,  then  ? I 
asked  the  guide,  for  I could  discover  nothing  that  suggested 
a lake  or  anything  like  one.  He  pointed  into  the  bush  where 
it  was  thicker  with  tropical  undergrowth  than  a wheatfield 
with  ears  of  corn.  If  I cared  to  creep  below  the  branches  for 
two  hundred  yai'ds  at  the  risk  of  meeting  snakes,  scorpions, 
and  other  such  charming  creatures,  I should  find  myself  on 
the  water’s  edge. 

To  ride  up  a mountain  three  thousand  feet  high,  to  be  near 
a wonder  which  I could  not  see  after  all,  was  not  what  I had 
proposed  to  myself.  There  was  a traveller’s  rest  at  the  point 
where  we  halted,  a cool  damp  grotto  carved  into  the  sand- 
stone ; we  picketed  our  horses,  cutting  leafy  boughs  off  the 
trees  for  them,  and  making  cushions  for  ourselves  out  of  the 
ferns.  We  were  told  that  if  we  walked  on  for  half  a mile  wq 
should  see  the  other  side  of  the  island,  and  if  we  were  lucky 
we  might  catch  a glimpse  of  the  lake.  Meanwhile  clouds 
rolled  down  off  the  mountains,  filled  the  hollow  where  we 
stood,  and  so  wrapped  us  in  mist,  that  the  question  seemed 
rather  how  we  were  to  return  than  whether  we  should  venture 
farther. 


170  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

While  we  were  considering  what  to  do,  we  heard  steps 
approaching  through  the  fog,  and  a party  of  blacks  came 
up  on  their  way  to  Roseau  with  a sick  companion  whom 
they  were  carrying  in  a palanquin.  We  were  eating  our 
luncheon  in  the  grotto,  and  they  stopped  to  talk  to  our 
guide  and  stare  at  us.  Two  of  them,  a lad  and  a girl,  came 
up  closer  to  me  than  good  manners  would  have  allowed  if 
they  had  possessed  such  things ; the  * I am  as  good  as 
you,  and  you  will  be  good  enough  to  know  it,’  sort  of  tone 
which  belongs  to  these  democratic  days  showing  itself 
rather  notably  in  the  rising  generation  in  parts  of  these 
islands.  I defended  myself  with  producing  a sketch  book 
and  proceeding  to  take  their  likenesses,  on  which  they  fled 
precipitately. 

Our  sandwiches  finished,  we  were  pensively  consuming  our 
cigars,  I speculating  on  Sir  George  Prevost  and  his  party  of 
redcoats  who  must  have  bivouacked  on  that  very  spot,  when 
the  clouds  broke  and  the  sun  came  out.  The  interval  was 
likely  to  be  a short  one,  so  we  hurried  to  our  feet,  walked  rap- 
idly on,  and  at  a turn  of  the  path  where  a hurricane  had  tom 
a passage  through  the  trees,  we  caught  a sight  of  our  lake  as 
we  had  been  told  that  perhaps  we  might  do.  It  lay  a couple 
of  hundred  feet  beneath  us  deep  and  still,  winding  away  round 
a promontory  under  the  crags  and  woods  of  the  ojjposite  hills : 
they  call  it  a crater,  and  I suppose  it  may  have  been  one,  for 
the  whole  island  shows  traces  of  violent  volcanic  disturbance, 
but  in  general  a crater  is  a bowl,  and  this  was  like  a reach  of 
a river,  which  lost  itself  before  one  could  see  where  it  ended. 
They  told  us  that  in  old  times,  when  troops  were  in  the  fort, 
and  the  white  men  of  the  island  went  about  and  enjoyed 
themselves,  there  were  boats  on  this  lake,  and  parties  came 
up  and  fished  there.  Now  it  was  like  the  pool  in  the  gar- 
dens of  the  palace  of  the  sleeping  princess,  guarded  by  im- 
penetrable thickets,  and  whether  there  are  fish  there,  or 


A Mountain  Ride. 


171 


enchanted  princesses  or  tlie  huts  of  some  tribe  of  Caribs, 
hiding  in  those  fastnesses  from  negroes  whom  they  hate, 
or  from  white  men  whom  they  do  not  love,  no  one  knows 
or  cares  to  know.  I made  a hurried  pencil  sketch,  and  we 
went  on. 

A little  farther  and  we  were  out  of  the  bush,  at  a rocky 
terrace  on  the  rim  of  the  great  valley  which  carries  the  rain- 
fall on  the  eastern  side  of  the  mountains  down  into  the  Atlan- 
tic. We  were  3,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Far  away  the  ocean 
stretched  out  before  us,  the  horizon  line  where  sky  met  water 
so  far  distant  that  both  had  melted  into  mist  at  the  point 
where  they  touched.  Mount  Diablot,  where  Labat  spent  a 
night  catching  the  devil  birds,  soared  up  on  our  left  hand. 
Below,  above,  around  us,  it  was  forest  everywhere  ; forest, 
and  only  forest,  a land  fertile  as  Adam’s  paradise,  still  waiting 
for  the  day  when  ‘ the  barren  woman  shall  bear  children.’ 
Of  course  it  was  beautiful,  if  that  be  of  any  consequence — 
mountain  peaks  and  crags  and  falling  waters,  and  the  dark 
green  of  the  trees  in  the  foreground,  dissolving  from  tint  to 
tint  to  grey,  violet,  and  blue  in  the  far-off  distance.  Even  at 
the  height  where  we  stood,  the  temperature  must  have  been 
70°.  But  the  steaming  damp  of  the  woods  was  gone,  the  air 
was  clear  and  exhilarating  as  champagne.  What  a land! 
And  what  were  we  doing  with  it  ? This  fair  inheritance,  won 
by  English  hearts  and  hands  for  the  use  of  the  working  men 
of  England,  and  the  English  working  men  lying  squalid  in 
the  grimy  alleys  of  crowded  towns,  and  the  inheritance 
turned  into  a wilderness.  Visions  began  to  rise  of  what 
might  be,  but  visions  which  were  taken  from  me  before 
they  could  shape  themselves.  The  curtain  of  vapour  fell 
down  over  us  again  and  all  was  gone,  and  of  that  glori- 
ous picture  nothing  was  left  but  our  own  two  selves  and 
the  few  yards  of  red  rock  and  soil  on  which  we  were  stand- 
ing. 


172 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


There  was  no  need  for  haste  now.  We  returned  slowly  to 
our  horses,  and  our  horses  carried  us  home  by  the  way  that 
we  had  come.  Captain  C.  went  carelessly  in  front  through 
the  fog,  over  boulders  and  watercourses  and  roots  of  fallen 
trees.  I followed  as  I could,  expecting  every  moment  to  find 
myself  flying  over  my  horse’s  head ; stumbling,  plunging, 
sliding,  but  getting  through  with  it  somehow.  The  creature 
had  never  seen  me  before,  but  was  as  careful  of  my  safety  as 
if  I had  been  an  old  acquaintance  and  friend.  Only  one 
misadventure  befell  me,  if  misadventure  it  may  be  called. 
Shaken,  and  damp  with  heat,  I was  riding  under  a wild 
orange  tree,  the  fruit  within  reach  of  my  hand.  I picked 
an  orange  and  plunged  my  teeth  into  the  skin,  and  I 
had  to  remember  my  rashness  for  days.  The  oil  in  the 
rind,  pungent  as  aromatic  salts,  rushed  on  my  palate,  and 
spurted  on  my  face  and  eyes.  The  smart  for  the  moment 
half  blinded  me.  I bethought  me,  however,  that  oranges 
with  such  a flavour  would  be  worth  something,  and  a 
box  of  them  which  was  sent  home  for  me  was  converted 
into  marmalade  with  a finer  flavour  than  ever  came  from 
Seville. 

What  more  can  I say  of  Dominica  ? I stayed  with  the  hos- 
pitable C.’s  for  a fortnight.  At  the  appointed  time  the  re- 
turning steamer  called  for  me.  I left  Captain  C.  with  a 
warm  hope  that  he  might  not  be  consigned  for  ever  to  a post 
which  an  English  gentleman  ought  not  to  be  condemned  to 
occupy  ; that  if  matters  could  not  be  mended  for  him  wrhere 
he  stood,  he  might  find  a situation  where  his  courage  and  his 
understanding  might  be  turned  to  useful  purpose.  I can 
never  forget  the  kindness  both  of  himself  and  his  clever, 
good,  graceful  lady.  I cannot  forget  either  the  two  dusky 
damsels  who  waited  upon  me  like  spirits  in  a fairy  tale.  It 
was  night  when  I left.  The  packet  came  alongside  the 
wharf.  We  took  leave  by  the  gleaming  of  her  lights.  The 


Reflections  on  English  Administration.  173 

whistle  screamed,  and  Dominica,  and  all  that  I had  seen, 
faded  into  a memory.  All  that  I had  seen,  but  not  all  that 
I had  thought.  That  island  was  the  scene  of  the  most  glori- 
ous of  England’s  many  famous  actions.  It  had  been  won  for 
us  again  and  again  by  the  gallantry  of  our  seamen  and  sol- 
diers. It  had  been  secured  at  last  to  the  Crown  by  the 
genius  of  the  greatest  of  our  admirals.  It  was  once  pros- 
perous. It  might  be  prosperous  again,  for  the  resources 
of  the  soil  are  untouched  and  inexhaustible.  The  black 
population  are  exceptionally  worthy.  They  are  excellent 
boatmen,  excellent  fishermen,  excellent  mechanics,  ready 
to  undertake  any  work  if  treated  with  courtesy  and  kind- 
ness. Yet  in  our  hands  it  is  falling  into  ruin.  The  influ- 
ence of  England  there  is  gone.  It  is  nothing.  Indifference 
has  bred  indifference  in  turn  as  a necessary  consequence. 
Something  must  be  wrong  when  among  30,000  of  our  fel- 
low-subjects not  one  could  be  found  to  lift  a hand  for  us 
if  the  island  were  invaded,  when  a boat’s  crew  from  Mar- 
tinique might  take  possession  of  it  without  a show  of  re- 
sistance. 

If  I am  asked  the  question,  What  use  is  Dominica  to  us  ? 
I decline  to  measure  it  by  present  or  possible  marketable 
value  ; I answer  simply  that  it  is  part  of  the  dominions  of  the 
Queen.  If  we  pinch  a finger,  the  smart  is  felt  in  the  brain. 
If  we  neglect  a wound  in  the  least  important  part  of  our 
persons,  it  may  poison  the  system.  Unless  the  blood  of  an 
organised  body  circulates  freely  through  the  extremities,  the 
extremities  mortify  and  drop  off,  and  the  dropping  off  of  any 
colony  of  ours  will  not  be  to  our  honour  and  may  be  to  our 
shame.  Dominica  seems  but  a small  thing,  but  our  larger 
colonies  are  observing  us,  and  the  world  is  observing  us,  and 
what  we  do  or  fail  to  do  works  beyond  the  limits  of  its 
immediate  operation.  The  mode  of  management  which 
produces  the  state  of  things  which  I have  described  cannot 


174  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

possibly  be  a right  one.  We  have  thought  it  wise,  with  a 
perfectly  honest  intention,  to  leave  our  dependencies  gen- 
erally to  work  out  their  own  salvation.  We  have  excepted 
India,  for  with  India  we  dare  not  run  the  risk.  But  we  have 
refused  to  consider  that  others  among  our  possessions  may 
be  in  a condition  analogous  to  India,  and  we  have  allowed 
them  to  drift  on  as  they  could.  It  was  certainly  excusable, 
and  it  may  have  been  prudent,  to  try  popular  methods  first, 
but  we  have  no  right  to  persist  in  the  face  of  a failure  so 
complete.  We  are  obliged  to  keep  these  islands,  for  it  seems 
that  no  one  will  relieve  us  of  them  ; and  if  they  are  to  re- 
main oui’s,  we  are  bound  so  to  govern  them  that  our  name 
shall  be  inspected  and  our  sovereignty  shall  not  be  a mock- 
ery.  Am  I asked  what  should  be  done  ? I have  answered 
already.  Among  the  silent  thousands  whose  quiet  work 
keeps  the  Empire  alive,  find  a Rajah  Brooke  if  you  can,  or  a 
Mr.  Smith  of  Scilly.  If  none  of  these  are  attainable,  even  a 
Sancho  Panza  would  do.  Send  him  out  with  no  more  in- 
structions than  the  knight  of  La  Mancha  gave  Sancho — to 
fear  God  and  do  his  duty.  Put  him  on  his  metal.  Promise 
him  the  respect  and  praise  of  all  good  men  if  he  does  well ; 
and  if  he  calls  to  his  help  intelligent  persons  who  under- 
stand the  cultivation  of  soils  and  the  management  of  men, 
in  half  a score  of  years  Dominica  would  be  the  brightest 
gem  of  the  Antilles.  From  America,  from  England,  from 
all  parts  of  the  world,  admiring  tourists  would  be  flocking 
there  to  see  what  Government  could  do,  and  curious  poli- 
ticians with  jealous  eyes  admitting  reluctantly  unwelcome 
conclusions. 

Woman ! no  mortal  o’er  the  widespread  earth 

Can  find  a fault  in  thee  ; thy  good  report 

Doth  reach  the  widespread  heaven,  as  of  some  prince 

Who,  in  the  likeness  of  a god,  doth  rule 

O'er  subjects  stout  of  heart  and  strong  of  hand  ; 


Reflections  on  English  Administration.  175 

And  men  speak  greatly  of  him,  and  his  land 
Bears  wheat  and  rye,  his  orchards  bend  with  fruit, 

His  flocks  breed  surely,  the  sea  yields  her  fish, 

Because  he  guides  his  folk  with  wisdom.  And  they  grow 
In  grace  and  manly  virtue. 1 

Because  ‘lie  guides  with  wisdom.’  That  is  the  whole 
secret.  The  leading  of  the  wise  few,  the  willing  obedience 
of  the  many,  is  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  all  right  action. 
Secure  this,  and  you  secure  evei’ything.  Fail  to  secure  it^ 
and  be  your  liberties  as  wide  as  you  can  make  them,  no  suc- 
cess is  possible. 

1 Si  yvvai , ovk  &v  rls  <re  fipoTcov  in'  aneipova  yaiav 
veuceot  • 5)  yap  <Ttv  k\ ios  ovpavbv  evpvv  iicdvei  ' 
ficrre  rev  3)  fiacnArjos  dp.vp.ovos,  bare  QeouSrjs 
avSpdcriv  tv  n 0AA0101  real  Itpdipoitriv  dvdatrwv , 
eiiS iiclas  dvi\T)<n  ' tpipntn  St  yata  piAaiva 
nvpovs  Kal  icpldds,  fiplQ-pcn  8k  SevSpea  Kapnip, 
tIktu  S’  epneSa  prjAa,  QdAacraa  8k  napixtt  Ix^vs, 
i | turiytolris  • aperutr i 8k  Aaol  vn'  aurov. — Odyssey,  xix.  107. 


CHAPTER  XH. 


The  Darien  canal — Jamaica  mail  packet — Captain  W. — Retrospect  of 
Jamaican  history — Waterspout  at  sea  — Hayti  — Jacmel — A walk 
through  the  town — A Jamaican  planter — First  sight  of  the  Blue 
Mountains — Port  Royal — Kingston — The  Colonial  Secretary — Gordon 
riots — Changes  in  the  Jamaican  constitution. 

Once  more  to  Barbadoes,  but  merely  to  change  there  from 
steamer  to  steamer.  My  course  was  now  across  the  Carib- 
bean Sea  to  the  great  islands  at  the  bottom  of  it.  The  Eng- 
lish mail,  after  calling  and  throwing  off  its  lateral  branches  at 
Bridgetown,  pursues  its  direct  course  to  Hayti  by  Jamaica, 
and  so  on  to  Vera  Cruz  and  the  Darien  Canal.  This  wonder- 
ful enterprise  of  M.  Lesseps  has  set  moving  the  loose  negro 
population  of  the  Antilles  and  Jamaica.  Unwilling  to  work 
as  they  are  supposed  to  be,  they  have  swarmed  down  to  the 
isthmus,  and  are  still  swarmiug  thither  in  tens  of  thousands, 
tempted  by  the  dollar  or  dollar  and  a half  a day  which  M. 
Lesseps  is  furnishing.  The  vessel  which  called  for  us  at 
Dominica  was  crowded  with  them,  and  we  picked  up  more 
as  we  went  on.  Their  average  stay  is  for  a year.  At  the  end 
of  a year  half  of  them  have  gone  to  the  other  world.  Half  go 
home,  made  easy  for  life  with  money  enough  to  buy  a few 
acres  of  land  and  ‘live  happy  ever  after.’  Heedless  as  school- 
boys, they  plunge  into  the  enterprise,  thinking  of  nothing 
but  the  hai’vest  of  dollars.  They  might  earn  as  much  or 
more  at  their  own  doors  if  there  were  any  one  to  employ 
them,  but  quiet  industry  is  out  of  joint,  and  Darien  has  seized 
their  imaginations  as  an  Eldorado. 


The  Darien  Canal. 


177 


If  half  the  reports  which  reached  me  are  correct,  in  all  the 
world  there  is  not  perhaps  now  concentrated  in  any  single 
spot  so  much  swindling  and  villany,  so  much  foul  disease, 
such  a hideous  dungheap  of  moral  and  physical  abomination, 
as  in  the  scene  of  this  far-famed  undertaking  of  nineteenth- 
century  engineering.  By  the  scheme,  as  it  was  first  pro- 
pounded, six-and-twenty  millions  of  English  money  were  to 
unite  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans,  to  form  a highway  for 
the  commerce  of  the  globe,  and  enrich  with  untold  wealth  the 
happy  owners  of  original  shares.  The  thrifty  French  peas- 
antry were  tempted  by  the  golden  bait,  and  poured  their  sav- 
ings into  M.  Lessep’s  lottery  box.  Almost  all  that  money,  I 
was  told,  has  been  already  spent,  and  only  a fifth  of  the  work 
is  done.  Meanwhile  the  human  vultures  have  gathered  to 
the  spoil.  Speculators,  adventurers,  card  sharpers,  hell 
keepers,  and  doubtful  ladies  have  carried  their  charms  to 
this  delightful  market.  The  scene  of  operations  is  a damp 
tropical  jungle,  intensely  hot,  swarming  with  mosquitoes, 
snakes,  alligators,  scorpions,  and  centipedes  ; the  home,  even 
as  nature  made  it,  of  yellow  fever,  typhus,  and  dysentery,  and 
now  made  immeasurably  more  deadly  by  the  multitudes  of 
people  who  crowd  thither.  Half  buried  in  mud  lie  about  the 
wrecks  of  costly  machinery,  consuming  by  rust,  sent  out 
under  lavish  orders,  and  found  unfit  for  the  work  for  which 
they  were  intended.  Unburied  altogether  lie  also  skeletons 
of  the  human  machines  which  have  broken  down  there, 
picked  clean  by  the  vultures.  Everything  which  imagination 
can  conceive  that  is  ghastly  and  loathsome  seems  to  be  gath- 
ered into  that  locality  just  now.  I was  pressed  to  go  on  and 
look  at  the  moral  surroundings  of  ‘ the  greatest  undertaking 
of  our  age,’ but  my  curiosity  was  less  strong  than  my  disgust. 
I did  not  see  the  place,  and  the  description  which  I have  given 
may  be  overcharged.  The  accounts  which  reached  me,  how- 
ever, were  uniform  and  consistent.  Not  one  person  whom  I 
12 


178  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

met  and  who  could  speak  from  personal  knowledge  had  any 
other  story  to  tell. 

We  looked  again  into  St.  Lucia  on  our  way.  The  train- 
ing squadron  was  lying  outside,  and  the  harbour  was  covered 
with  boats  full  of  blue-jackets.  The  big  ships  were  rolling 
heavily.  They  could  have  eaten  up  Rodney’s  fleet.  The 
great  ‘Ville  de  Paris’  would  have  been  a mouthful  to  the 
smallest  of  them.  Man  for  man  officers  and  crew,  were  as 
good  as  Rodney  ever  commanded.  Yet,  somehow,  they 
produce  small  effect  on  the  imagination  of  the  colonists. 
The  impression  is  that  they  are  meant  more  for  show  than 
for  serious  use.  Alas  ! the  stars  and  stripes  on  a Yankee 
trader  have  more  to  say  in  the  West  Indies  than  the  white 
ensigns  of  a fleet  of  British  ironclads. 

At  Barbadoes  there  was  nothing  more  for  me  to  do  or  see. 
The  English  mail  was  on  the  point  of  sailing,  and  I hastened 
on  board.  One  does  not  realise  distance  on  maps.  Jamaica 
belongs  to  the  West  Indies,  and  the  West  Indies  are  a col- 
lective entity.  Yet  it  is  removed  from  the  Antilles  by  the 
diameter  of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  is  farther  off  than  Gib- 
raltar from  Southampton.  Thus  it  was  a voyage  of  several 
days,  and  I looked  about  to  see  who  were  to  be  my  com- 
panions. There  were  several  Spaniards,  one  or  two  English 
tourists,  and  some  ladies  who  never  left  their  cabins.  The 
captain  was  the  most  remarkable  figure  : an  elderly  man 
with  one  eye  lost  or  injured,  the  other  as  peremptory  as  I 
have  often  seen  in  a human  face  ; rough  and  prickly  on  the 
outside  as  a pineapple,  internally  very  much  resembling  the 
same  fruit,  for  at  the  bottom  he  was  true,  genuine,  and 
kindly  hearted,  very  amusing,  and  intimately  known  to  all 
travellers  on  the  West  Indian  line,  in  the  service  of  which  he 
had  passed  forty  years  of  his  life.  In  his  own  ship  he  was 
sovereign  and  recognised  no  superior.  Bishops,  colonial 
governors,  presidents  of  South  American  republics  were,  so 


The  Jamaica  Mail  Packet. 


179 


far  as  their  office  went,  no  more  to  him  than  other  people, 
and  as  long  as  they  were  on  board  were  chattels  of  which  he 
had  temporary  charge.  Peer  and  peasant  were  alike  under 
his  orders,  which  were  absolute  as  the  laws  of  Medes  and 
Persians.  On  the  other  hand,  his  eye  was  quick  to  see  if 
there  was  any  personal  merit  in  a man,  and  if  you  deserved 
his  respect  you  would  have  it.  One  particular  merit  he  had 
which  I greatly  approved.  He  kept  his  cabin  to  himself,  and 
did  not  turn  it  into  a smoking  room,  as  I have  known  cap- 
tains do  a great  deal  too  often. 

All  my  own  thoughts  were  fixed  upon  Jamaica.  I had 
read  so  much  about  it,  that  my  memory  was  full  of  persons 
and  scenes  and  adventures  of  which  Jamaica  was  the  stage 
or  subject.  Penn  and  Venables  and  the  Puritan  conquest, 
and  Morgan  and  the  buccaneers ; Port  Royal  crowded  with 
Spanish  prizes  ; its  busy  dockyards,  and  English  frigates  and 
privateers  fitting  out  there  for  glorious  or  desperate  enter- 
prises. The  name  of  Jamaica  brought  them  crowding  up 
with  incident  on  incident ; and  behind  the  history*came  Tom 
Cringle  and  the  wild  and  reckless,  yet  wholesome  and  hearty, 
planter’s  life  in  Kingston  ; the  dark  figures  of  the  pirates 
swinging  above  the  mangroves  at  Gallows  Point;  the  balls 
and  parties  and  the  beautiful  quadroons,  and  the  laughing, 
merry,  innocent  children  of  darkness,  with  the  tricks  of  the 
middies  upon  them.  There  was  the  tragic  side  of  it  too,  in 
slavery,  the  last  ugly  flash  out  of  the  cloud  being  not  two 
decades  distant  in  the  Eyre  and  Gordon  time.  Interest 
enough  there  was  about  Jamaica,  and  things  would  be 
strangely  changed  in  Kingston  if  nothing  remained  of  the 
society  which  was  once  so  brilliant.  There,  if  anywhere, 
England  and  English  rule  were  not  yet  a vanished  quantity. 
There  was  a dockyard  still,  and  a commodore  in  command, 
and  a guardship  and  gunboats,  and  English  regiments  and 
West  Indian  regiments  with  English  officers,  Some  repre- 


180  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

Bentatives,  too,  I knew  were  to  be  found  of  the  old  Anglo- 
West  Indians,  men  whose  fathers  and  grandfathers  were  born 
in  the  island,  and  whose  fortunes  were  bound  up  in  it. 
Aaron  Bang ! what  would  not  one  have  given  to  meet  Aaron  ? 
The  real  Aaron  had  been  gathered  to  his  fathers,  and  nature 
does  not  make  two  such  as  he  was  ; but  I might  fall  in  with 
something  that  would  remind  me  of  him.  Paul  Gelid  and 
Pepperpot  Wagtail,  and  Peter  Mangrove,  better  than  either 
of  them — the  likeness  of  these  might  be  surviving,  and  it 
would  be  delightful  to  meet  and  talk  to  them.  They  would 
give  fresh  flavour  to  the  immortal  ‘ Log.’  Even  another  Tom 
was  not  impossible ; some  middy  to  develop  hereafter  into  a 
frigate  captain  and  to  sail  again  into  Port  Royal  with  his 
prizes  in  tow. 

Nature  at  all  events  could  not  be  changed.  The  white 
rollers  would  still  be  breaking  on  the  coral  reefs.  The  palms 
would  still  be  waving  on  the  spit  which  forms  the  harbour, 
and  the  amber  mist  would  be  floating  round  the  peaks  of  the 
Blue  Mountains.  There  were  English  soldiers  and  sailors, 
and  English  people.  The  English  language  was  spoken  there 
by  blacks  as  well  as  whites.  The  religion  was  English.  Our 
country  went  for  something,  and  there  would  be  some  per- 
sons, at  least,  to  whom  the  old  land  was  more  than  a step- 
mother, and  w'ho  were  not  sighing  in  their  hearts  for  an- 
nexation to  the  American  Union.  The  governor,  Sir  Henry 
Norman,  of  Indian  fame,  I was  sorry  to  learn,  was  still  ab- 
sent ; he  had  gone  home  on  some  legal  business.  Sir  Henry 
had  an  Imperial  reputation.  He  had  been  spoken  of  to  me 
in  Barbadoes  as  able,  if  he  were  allowed  a chance,  to  act  as 
Viceroy  of  all  the  islands,  and  to  set  them  on  their  feet  again. 
I could  well  believe  that  a man  of  less  than  Sir  Henry’s  re- 
puted power  could  do  it — for  in  the  thing  itself  there  was  no 
great  difficulty — if  only  we  at  home  were  once  disenchanted ; 
though  all  the  ability  in  the  world  would  be  thrown  away  as 


President  Salomon . 


181 


long  as  the  enchantment  continued.  I did  see  Sir  Henry,  as 
it  turned  out,  but  only  for  a few  hours. 

Our  voyage  was  without  remarkable  incident ; as  voyages 
are  apt  to  be  in  these  days  of  powerful  steamboats.  One 
morning  there  was  a tropical  rain  storm  which  wras  worth 
seeing.  We  had  a strong  awning  over  the  quarter-deck,  so 
I could  stand  and  watch  it.  An  ink-black  cloud  came  sud- 
denly up  from  the  north  which  seemed  to  hang  into  the  sea, 
the  surface  of  the  water  below  being  violently  agitated.  Ac- 
cording to  popular  belief,  the  cloud  on  these  occasions  is 
drawing  up  water  which  it  afterwards  discharges.  Were  this 
so,  the  water  discharged  would  be  salt,  which  it  never  is. 
The  cause  of  the  agitation  is  a cyclonic  rotation  of  air  or 
local  whirlwind.  The  most  noticeable  feature  was  the  black- 
ness of  the  cloud  itself.  It  became  so  dark  that  it  would 
have  been  difficult  to  read  any  ordinary  print.  The  rain, 
when  it  burst,  fell  not  in  drops  but  in  torrents.  The  deck 
was  flooded,  and  the  scuttle-holes  ran  like  jets  from  a pump. 
The  awning  was  ceasing  to  be  a shelter,  for  the  water  was 
driven  bodily  through  it ; but  the  downpour  passed  off  as 
suddenly  as  it  had  risen.  There  was  no  lightning  and  no 
wind.  The  sea  under  our  side  was  glassy  smooth,  and  was 
dashed  into  millions  of  holes  by  the  plunging  of  the  rain 
pellets. 

The  captain  in  his  journeys  to  and  fro  had  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  present  black  President  of  Hayti,  Mr.  Sal- 
omon. I had  heal’d  of  this  gentleman  as  an  absolute  person, 
who  knew  how  to  make  himself  obeyed,  and  who  treated  op- 
position to  his  authority  in  a very  summary  manner.  He 
seemed  to  be  a favourite  of  the  captain’s.  He  had  been  edu- 
cated in  France,  had  met  with  many  changes  of  fortune,  and 
after  an  exile  in  Jamaica  had  become  quasi-king  of  the  black 
republic.  I much  wished  to  see  this  paradise  of  negro  lib- 
erty ; we  were  to  touch  at  Jacmel,  which  is  one  of  the  prin- 


182 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


cipal  ports,  to  leave  the  mails,  and  Captain  W was  good 

enough  to  say  that,  if  I liked,  I might  go  on  shore  for  an  hour 
or  two  with  the  officer  in  charge. 

Hayti,  as  everyone  knows  who  has  studied  the  black  prob- 
lem, is  the  western  portion  of  Columbus’s  Espanola,  or  St. 
Domingo,  the  largest  after  Cuba  and  the  most  fertile  in  nat- 
ural resources  of  all  the  islands  of  the  Caribbean  Sea.  It 
was  the  earliest  of  the  Spanish  settlements  in  the  New  World. 
The  Spaniards  found  there  a million  or  two  of  mild  and  inno- 
cent Indians,  whom  in  their  first  enthusiasm  they  intended 
to  convert  to  Christianity,  and  to  offer  as  the  first  fruits  of 
their  discovery  to  the  Virgin  Mary  and  St.  Domenic.  The 
saint  gave  his  name  to  the  island,  and  his  temperament  to 
the  conquerors.  In  carrying  out  their  pious  design,  they 
converted  the  Indians  off  the  face  of  the  earth,  working  them 
to  death  in  their  mines  and  plantations.  They  filled  their 
places  with  blacks  from  Africa,  who  proved  of  tougher  con- 
stitution. They  colonised,  they  built  cities ; they  throve 
and  prospered  for  nearly  two  hundred  years,  when  Hayti,  the 
most  valuable  half  of  the  island,  was  taken  from  them  by  the 
buccaneers  and  made  into  a French  province.  The  rest, 
which  keeps  the  title  of  St.  Domingo,  continued  Spanish,  and 
is  Spanish  still — a thinly  inhabited,  miserable,  Spanish  repub- 
lic. Hayti  became  afterwards  the  theatre  of  the  exploits  of 
the  ever-glorious  Toussaint  l’Ouverture.  When  the  French 
Devolution  broke  out,  and  Liberty  and  the  Eights  of  Man  be- 
came the  new  gospel,  slavery  could  not  be  allowed  to  continue 
in  the  French  dominions.  The  blacks  of  the  colony  were 
emancipated  and  were  received  into  the  national  brotherhood. 
In  sympathy  with  the  Jacobins  of  France,  who  burnt  the 
chateaux  of  the  nobles  and  guillotined  the  owners  of  them, 
the  liberated  slaves  rose  as  soon  as  they  were  free,  and  mas- 
sacred the  whole  French  population,  man,  woman,  and  child. 
Napoleon  sent  an  army  to  punish  the  murderers  and  recover 


The  Black  Republic. 


183 


the  colony.  Toussaint,  who  had  no  share  in  the  atrocities, 
and  whose  fault  was  only  that  he  had  been  caught  by  the  pre- 
vailing political  epidemic  and  believed  in  the  evangel  of  free- 
dom, surrendered  and  was  carried  to  France,  where  he  died 
or  else  was  made  an  end  of.  The  yellow  fever  avenged  him, 
and  secured  for  his  countrymen  the  opportunity  of  trying  out 
to  the  uttermost  the  experiment  of  negro  self-government. 
The  French  troops  perished  in  tens  of  thousands.  They  were 
reinforced  again  and  again,  but  it  was  like  pouring  water  into 
a sieve.  The  climate  won  a victory  to  the  black  man  which 
he  could  not  win  for  himself.  They  abandoned  their  enter- 
prise at  last,  and  Hayti  was  free.  We  English  tried  our  hand 
to  recover  it  afterwards,  but  we  failed  also,  and  for  the  same 
reason. 

Hayti  has  thus  for  nearly  a century  been  a black  independ- 
ent state.  The  negro  race  have  had  it  to  themselves  and 
have  not  been  interfered  with.  They  were  equipped  when 
they  started  on  their  career  of  freedom  with  the  Catholic  re- 
ligion, a civilised  language,  European  laws  and  manners,  and 
the  knowledge  of  various  arts  and  occupations  which  they 
had  learnt  while  they  were  slaves.  They  speak  French  still ; 
they  are  nominally  Catholics  still ; and  the  tags  and  rags  of 
the  gold  lace  of  French  civilisation  continue  to  cling  about 
their  institutions.  But  in  the  heart  of  them  has  revived  the 
old  idolatry  of  the  Gold  Coast,  and  in  the  villages  of  the  in- 
terior, where  they  are  out  of  sight  and  can  follow  their  in- 
stincts, they  sacrifice  children  in  the  serpent’s  honour  after 
the  manner  of  their  forefathers.  Perhaps  nothing  better 
could  be  expected  from  a liberty  which  was  inaugurated  by 
assassination  and  plunder.  Political  changes  which  prove 
successful  do  not  begin  in  that  way. 

The  Bight  of  Leogane  is  a deep  bay  carved  in  the  side  of 
the  island,  one  arm  of  which  is  a narrow  ridge  of  high  moun- 
tains a hundred  and  fifty  miles  long  and  from  thirty  to  forty 


184  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

wide.  At  the  head  of  this  bay,  to  the  north  of  the  ridge,  is 
Port  au  Prince,  the  capital  of  this  remarkable  community. 
On  the  south,  on  the  immediately  opposite  side  of  the  moun- 
tains and  facing  the  Caribbean  Sea,  is  Jacmel,  the  town  next 
in  importance.  We  arrived  off  it  shortly  after  daybreak. 
The  houses,  which  are  white,  looked  cheerful  in  the  sunlight. 
Harbour  there  was  none,  but  an  open  roadstead  into  which 
the  swell  of  the  sea  sets  heavily,  curling  over  a long  coral 
reef,  which  forms  a partial  shelter.  The  mountain  range  rose 
behind,  sloping  off  into  rounded  woody  hills.  Here  were  the 
feeding  grounds  of  the  herds  of  wild  cattle  which  tempted 
the  buccaneers  into  the  island,  and  from  which  they  took 
their  name.  The  shore  was  abrupt  ; the  land  broke  off  in 
cliffs  of  coral  rock  tinted  brilliantly  with  various  colours. 
One  rather  striking  white  cliff,  a ship’s  officer  assured  me, 
was  chalk  ; adding  flint  when  I looked  incredulous.  His 
geological  education  was  imperfect.  We  brought  up  a mile 
outside  the  black  city.  The  boat  was  lowered.  None  of  the 
other  passengers  volunteered  to  go  with  me  ; the  English  are 
out  of  favour  in  Hayti  just  now  ; the  captain  discouraged 
landings  out  of  mere  curiosity  ; and,  indeed,  the  officer  with 
the  mails  had  to  reassure  himself  of  Captain  W ’s  con- 

sent before  he  would  take  me.  The  presence  of  Europeans 
in  any  form  is  barely  tolerated.  A few  only  are  allowed  to 
remain  about  the  ports,  just  as  the  Irish  say  they  let  a few 
Danes  remain  in  Dublin  and  Waterford  after  the  battle  of 
Clontarf,  to  attend  to  the  ignoble  business  of  trade. 

The  country  after  the  green  of  the  Antilles  looked  brown 
and  parched.  In  the  large  islands  the  winter  months  are 
dry.  As  we  approached  the  reef  we  saw  the  long  hills  of 
water  turn  to  emerald  as  they  rolled  up  the  shoal,  then  comb- 
ing and  breaking  in  cataracts  of  snow-white  foam.  The  of- 
ficer in  charge  took  me  within  oar’s  length  of  the  rock  to  try 
my  nerves,  and  the  sea,  he  did  not  fail  to  tell  me,  swarmed 


Jacmel. 


185 


with  sharks  of  the  worst  propensities.  Two  steamers  were 
lying  inside,  one  of  which,  belonging  to  an  English  company, 
had  ‘happened  a misfortune,’  and  was  breaking  up  as  a de- 
serted wreck.  A Yankee  clipper  schooner  had  just  come  iu 
with  salt  fish  and  crackers — a singularly  beautiful  vessel, 
with  immense  beam,  which  would  have  startled  the  builders 
of  the  Cowes  racers.  It  was  precisely  like  the  schooner  which 
Tom  Cringle  commanded  before  the  dockyard  martinets  had 
improved  her  into  ugliness,  built  on  the  lines  of  the  old 
pirate  craft  of  the  islands,  w'hen  the  lives  and  fortunes  of 
men  hung  on  the  extra  speed,  or  the  point  which  they  could 
lie  closer  to  the  wind.  Her  return  cargo  would  be  coffee 
and  bananas. 

Englishmen  move  about  in  Jacmel  as  if  they  were  ashamed 
of  themselves  among  their  dusky  lords  and  masters.  I ob- 
served the  Yankee  skipper  paddling  himself  off  in  a canoe 
with  his  broad  straw  hat  and  hi3  cigar  in  his  mouth,  looking 
as  if  all  the  world  belonged  to  him,  and  as  if  all  the  world,  and 
the  Hayti  blacks  in  particular,  were  aware  of  the  fact.  The 
Yankee,  whether  we  like  it  or  not,  is  the  acknowledged  sover- 
eign in  these  waters. 

The  landing  place  was,  or  had  been,  a jetty  built  on  piles 
and  boarded  over.  Half  the  piles  were  broken  ; the  planks 
had  rotted  and  fallen  through.  The  swell  was  rolling  home, 
and  we  had  to  step  out  quickly  as  the  boat  rose  on  the  crest 
of  the  wave.  A tattered  crowd  of  negroes  were  loafing  about 
variously  dressed,  none,  however,  entirely  without  clothes  of 
some  kind.  One  of  them  did  kindly  give  me  a hand,  observ- 
ing that  I was  less  light  of  foot  than  once  I might  have  been. 
The  agent’s  office  was  close  by.  I asked  the  head  clerk — a 
Frenchman — to  find  mo  a guide  through  the  town.  He  called 
one  of  the  bystanders  whom  he  knew,  and  we  started  together, 
I and  my  black  companion,  to  see  as  much  as  I could  in  the 
hour  which  was  allowed  me.  The  language  was  less  hopeless 


186  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

than  at  Dominica.  We  found  that  we  could  understand  each 
other — he,  me,  tolerably  ; I,  him,  in  fragments,  for  his  tongue 
went  as  fast  as  a shuttle.  Though  it  was  still  barely  eight 
o’clock  the  sun  was  scalding.  The  streets  were  filthy  and 
the  stench  abominable.  The  houses  were  of  white  stone,  and 
of  some  pretensions,  but  ragged  and  uninviting — paint  no- 
wherc,  and  the  woodwork  of  the  windows  and  verandahs 
mouldy  and  worm-eaten.  The  inhabitants  swarmed  as  in  a 
St.  Giles’s  rookery.  I suppose  they  were  all  out  of  doors.  If 
any  were  left  at  home  Jacmel  must  have  been  as  populous  as 
an  African  ants’  nest.  As  I had  looked  for  nothing  better 
than  a Kaffir  kraal,  the  degree  of  civilisation  was  more  than  I 
expected.  I expressed  my  admiration  of  the  buildings  ; my 
guide  was  gratified,  and  pointed  out  to  me  with  evident  pride 
a new  hotel  or  boarding  house  kept  by  a Madam  Somebody 
who  was  the  great  lady  of  the  place.  Madame  Ellememe  was 
sitting  in  a shady  balcony  outside  the  first  floor  windows. 
She  was  a large  menacing-looking  mulatto,  like  some  ogress 
of  the  ‘ Arabian  Nights,’  capable  of  devouring,  if  she  found 
them  palatable,  any  number  of  salt  babies.  I took  off  my  hat 
to  this  formidable  dame,  which  she  did  not  condescend  to 
notice,  and  we  passed  on.  A few  houses  in  the  outskirts 
stood  in  gardens  with  inclosures  about  them.  There  is  some 
trade  in  the  place,  and  there  were  evidently  families,  negro  or 
European,  who  lived  in  less  squalid  style  than  the  generality. 
There  was  a governor  there,  my  guide  informed  me— an 
ornamental  personage,  much  respected.  To  my  question 
whether  he  had  any  soldiers,  I was  answered  ‘No;’  the  Hayti- 
ans  didn’t  like  soldiers.  I was  to  understand,  however,  that 
they  were  not  common  blacks.  They  aspired  to  be  a common- 
wealth with  public  rights  and  alliances.  Hayti  a republic, 
France  a republic  : France  and  Hayti  good  friends  now. 
They  had  a French  bishop  and  French  priests  and  a French 
currency.  In  spite  of  their  land  laws,  they  were  proud  of 


Jacmel. 


187 


their  affinity  with  the  great  nation  ; and  I heard  afterwards, 
though  not  from  my  Jacmel  companion,  that  the  better  part 
of  the  Haytians  would  welcome  back  the  French  dominion  if 
they  were  not  afraid  that  the  Yankees  would  disapprove. 

My  guide  persisted  in  leading  me  outside  the  town,  and 
as  my  time  was  limited,  I tried  in  various  ways  to  induce 
him  to  take  me  back  into  it.  He  maintained,  however,  that 
he  had  been  told  to  show  me  whatever  was  most  interesting, 
and  I found  that  I was  to  see  an  American  windmill-pump 
which  had  been  just  erected  to  supply  Jacmel  with  fresh 
water.  It  was  the  first  that  had  been  seen  in  the  island,  and 
was  a wonder  of  wonders.  Doubtless  it  implied  ‘ progress,’ 
and  would  assist  in  the  much-needed  ablution  of  the  streets 
and  kennels.  I looked  at  it  and  admired,  and  having  thus 
done  homage,  I was  allowed  my  own  way. 

It  was  market  day.  The  Yankee  cargo  had  been  un- 
loaded, and  a great  open  space  in  front  of  the  cathedral  was 
covered  with  stalls  or  else  blankets  stretched  on  poles  to  keep 
the  sun,  off,  where  hundreds  of  Haytian  dames  were  sitting 
or  standing  disposing  of  their  wares- — piles  of  salt  fish,  piles 
of  coloured  calicoes,  knives,  scissors,  combs,  and  brushes. 
Of  home  produce  there  were  great  baskets  of  loaves,  fruit, 
vegetables,  and  butcher’s  meat  on  slabs.  I looked  inquisi- 
tively at  these  last  ; but  I acknowledge  that  I saw  no  joints 
of  suspicious  appearance.  Children  were  running  about  in 
thousands,  not  the  least  as  if  they  were  in  fear  of  being  sacri- 
ficed, and  babies  hung  upon  their  mothers  as  if  natural  affec- 
tion existed  in  Jacmel  as  much  as  in  other  places.  I asked 
no  compromising  questions,  not  wishing  to  be  torn  in  pieces. 
Sir  Spencer  St.  John’s  book  has  been  heard  of  in  Hayti,  and 
the  anger  about  it  is  considerable.  The  scene  was  interest- 
ing enough,  but  the  smell  was  unendurable.  The  wild  Afri- 
can black  is  not  filthy  in  his  natural  state.  He  washes  much, 
and,  as  wild  animals  do,  at  least  tries  to  keep  himself  clear 


188  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

of  vermin.  The  blacks  in  Jacmel  appeared  (like  the  same 
animals  as  soon  as  they  are  domesticated)  to  lose  the  sense 
which  belongs  to  them  in  their  wild  condition.  My  preju- 
dices, if  I have  any,  had  not  blinded  me  to  the  good  qualities 
of  the  men  and  women  in  Dominica.  I do  not  think  it  was 
prejudice  wholly  which  made  me  think  the  faces  which  I saw 
in  Hayti  the  most  repulsive  which  I had  ever  seen  in  the 
world,  or  Jacmel  itself,  taken  for  all  in  all,  the  foulest,  dirti- 
est, and  nastiest  of  human  habitations.  The  dirt,  however,  I 
will  do  them  the  j ustice  to  say  did  not  seem  to  extend  to  their 
churches.  The  cathedral  stood  at  the  upper  end  of  the  mar- 
ket place.  I went  in.  It  was  airy,  cool,  and  decent-looking. 
Some  priests  were  saying  mass,  and  there  was  a fairly  large 
congregation.  I wished  to  get  a nearer  sight  of  the  altar 
and  the  images  and  pictures,  imagining  that  in  Hayti  the 
sacred  persons  might  assume  a darker  colour  than  in 
Europe  ; but  I could  not  reach  the  chancel  without  disturb- 
ing people  who  were  saying  their  prayers,  and,  to  the  dis- 
appointment of  my  companion,  wrko  beckoned  me  on,  and 
would  have  cleared  a way  for  me,  I controlled  my  curiosity 
and  withdrew. 

My  hour’s  leave  of  absence  was  expired.  I made  my  way 
back  to  the  landing  place,  where  the  mail  steamer’s  boat  was 
waiting  for  me.  On  the  steamer  herself  the  passengers  were 
waiting  impatiently  for  breakfast,  which  had  been  put  off  on 
our  account.  We  hurried  on  board  at  our  best  speed ; but 
before  breakfast  could  be  thought  of,  or  any  other  thing,  I 
had  to  strip  and  plunge  into  a bath  and  wash  away  the  odour 
of  the  great  negro  republic  of  the  West  which  clung  to  my 
clothes  and  skin. 

Leaving  Jacmel  and  its  associations,  we  ran  all  day  along 
the  land,  skirting  a range  of  splendid  mountains  between 
seven  and  eight  thousand  feet  high  ; past  the  Isle  a Vache  ; 
past  the  bay  of  Cayes,  once  famous  as  the  haunt  of  the  sea- 


A Jamaica  Planter. 


189 


rovers  ; past  Cape  Tubiron,  the  Cape  of  Sharks.  At  evening 
we  were  in  the  channel  which  divides  St.  Domingo  from 

Jamaica.  Captain  insisted  to  me  that  this  was  the 

scene  of  Rodney’s  action,  and  he  pointed  out  to  me  the  head- 
land under  which  the  British  fleet  had  been  lying.  He  was 
probably  right  in  saying  that  it  was  the  scene  of  some  action 
of  Rodney’s,  for  there  is  hardly  a corner  of  the  West  Indies 
where  he  did  not  leave  behind  him  the  print  of  his  cannon 
shot ; but  it  was  not  the  scene  of  the  great  fight  which  saved 
the  British  Empire.  That  was  below  the  cliffs  of  Dominica  ; 
and  Captain  W , as  many  others  have  done,  was  con- 

founding Dominica  with  St.  Domingo. 

The  nest  morning  we  were  to  anchor  at  Port  Royal.  We 
had  a Jamaica  gentleman  of  some  consequence  on  board.  I 
had  failed  so  far  to  make  acquaintance  with  him,  but  on  this 
last  evening  he  joined  me  on  deck,  and  I gladly  used  the 
opportunity  to  learn  something  of  the  present  condition  of 
things.  I was  mistaken  in  expecting  to  find  a more  vigorous 
or  more  sanguine  tone  of  feeling  than  I had  left  at  the  An- 
tilles. There  was  the  same  despondency,  the  same  sense 
that  their  state  was  hopeless,  and  that  nothing  wThich  they 
could  themselves  do  would  mend  it.  He  himself,  for  in- 
stance, was  the  owner  of  a large  sugar  estate  which  a few 
years  ago  was  worth  60,000L  It  was  not  encumbered.  He 
was  his  own  manager,  and  had  spared  no  cost  in  providing 
the  newest  machinery.  Yet,  with  the  present  prices  and  with 
the  refusal  of  the  American  Commercial  Treaty,  it  would  not 
pay  the  expense  of  cultivation.  He  held  on,  for  it  was  all 
that  he  could  do.  To  sell  was  impossible,  for  no  one  would 
buy  even  at  the  price  of  the  stock  on  the  land.  It  was  the 
same  story  which  I had  heard  everywhere.  The  expenses  of 
the  administration,  this  gentleman  said,  were  out  of  all  pro- 
portion to  the  resources  of  the  island,  and  were  yearly  in- 
creasing. The  planters  had  governed  in  the  old  days  as  the 


190  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

English  landlords  had  governed  Ireland.  They  had  gov- 
erned cheaply  and  on  their  own  resources.  They  had  author- 
ity ; they  were  respected  ; their  word  was  law.  Now  their 
power  had  been  taken  from  them,  and  made  over  to  paid 
officials,  and  the  expense  was  double  what  it  used  to  be. 
Between  the  demands  made  on  them  in  the  form  of  taxation 
and  the  fall  in  the  value  of  their  produce  their  backs  were 
breaking,  and  the  ‘ landed  interest  ’ would  come  to  an  end. 
I asked  him,  as  I had  asked  many  persons  without  getting  a 
satisfactory  answer,  what  he  thought  that  the  Imperial  Gov- 
ernment could  do  to  mend  matters.  He  seemed  to  think 
that  it  was  too  late  to  do  anything.  The  blacks  were  in- 
creasing so  fast,  and  the  white  influence  was  diminishing  so 
fast,  that  Jamaica  in  a few  years  would  be  another  Hayti. 

In  this  gentleman,  too,  I found  to  my  sorrow  that  there 
was  the  same  longing  for  admission  to  the  American  "Union 
which  I had  left  behind  me  at  the  Antilles.  In  spite  of 
soldiers  and  the  naval  station,  the  old  country  was  still 
looked  upon  as  a stepmother,  and  of  genuine  loyalty  there 
was,  according  to  him,  little  or  nothing.  If  the  West  Indies 
were  ever  to  become  prosperous  again,'  it  could  only  be  when 
they  were  annexed  to  the  United  States.  For  the  present,  at 
least,  he  admitted  that  annexation  was  impossible.  Not  on 
account  of  any  possible  objection  on  the  part  of  the  British 
Government  ; it  seems  to  be  assumed  by  every  one  that  the 
British  Government  cares  nothing  what  they  do  ; nor  wholly 
on  account  of  the  objections  of  the  Americans,  though  he 
admitted  that  the  Americans  were  unwilling  to  receive  them  ; 
but  because  in  the  existing  state  of  feeling  such  a change 
could  not  be  carried  out  without  civil  war.  In  Jamaica,  at 
least,  the  blacks  and  mulatoes  would  resist.  There  were 
nearly  700,000  of  them,  while  of  the  whites  there  were  but 
15,000,  and  the  relative  numbers  were  every  year  becoming 
more  unfavourable.  The  blacks  knew  that  under  England 


Jamaican  Prospects.  191 

they  had  nothing  to  fear.  They  would  have  everything  more 
and  more  their  own  way,  and  in  a short  time  they  expected 
to  have  the  island  to  themselves.  They  might  collect  arms  ; 
they  might  do  what  they  pleased,  and  no  English  officer 
dared  to  use  rough  measures  with  them  ; while,  if  they  be- 
longed to  the  Union,  the  whites  would  recover  authority  one 
way  or  another.  The  Americans  were  ready  with  their  rifles 
on  occasions  of  disorder,  and  their  own  countrymen  did  not 
call  them  to  account  for  it  as  we  did.  The  blacks,  therefore, 
preferred  the  liberty  which  they  had  and  the  prospects  to 
which  they  looked  forward,  and  they  and  the  mulattoes  also 
would  fight,  and  fight  desperately,  before  they  would  allow 
themselves  to  be  made  American  citizens. 

The  prospect  which  Mr.  laid  before  me  was  not  a 

beautiful  one,  and  was  coming  a step  nearer  at  each  advance 
that  was  made  in  the  direction  of  constitutional  self-govern- 
ment ; for,  like  every  other  person  with  whom  I spoke  on  the 
subject,  he  said  emphatically  that  Europeans  would  not  re- 
main to  be  ruled  under  a black  representative  system  ; nor 
would  they  take  any  part  in  it  when  they  would  be  so  over- 
whelmingly outvoted  and  outnumbered.  They  would  sooner 
forfeit  all  that  they  had  in  the  world  and  go  away.  An  effective 
and  economical  administration  on  the  Indian  pattern  might 
have  saved  all  a few  years  ago.  It  was  too  late  now,  and  Ja- 
maica was  past  recovery.  At  this  rate  it  was  a sadly  altered 
Jamaica  since  Tom  Cringle’s  time,  though  his  friend  Aaron 
even  then  had  seen  what  was  probably  coming.  But  I could 

not  accept  entirely  all  that  Mr.  had  been  saying,  and 

had  to  discount  the  natural  irritation  of  a man  who  sees  his 
fortune  sliding  out  of  his  hands.  Moreover,  for  myself,  I 
never  listen  much  to  a desponding  person.  Even  when  a 
cause  is  lost  utterly,  and  no  rational  hope  remains,  I would 
still  go  down,  if  it  had  to  be  so,  with  my  spirit  unbroken  and 
my  face  to  the  enemy.  Mr. perhaps  would  recover  heart 


192  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

if  the  price  of  sugar  mended  a little.  For  my  own  part,  I do 
not  care  much  whether  it  mends  or  not.  The  economics  of 
the  islands  ought  not  to  depend  exclusively  on  any  single 
article  of  produce.  I believe,  too,  in  spite  of  gloomy  prog- 
nostics, that  a loyal  and  prosperous  Jamaica  is  still  among 
the  possibilities  of  the  future,  if  we  will  but  study  in  earnest 

the  character  of  the  problem.  Mr.  , however,  did  most 

really  convey  to  me  the  convictions  of  a large  and  influential 
body  of  West  Indians — convictions  on  which  they  are  already 
acting,  and  will  act  more  and  more.  With  Hayti  so  close, 
and  with  opinion  in  England  indifferent  to  what  becomes  of 
them,  they  will  clear  out  while  they  have  something  left  to 
lose,  and  will  not  wait  till  ruin  is  upon  them,  or  till  they  are 
ordered  off  the  land  by  a black  legislature.  There  is  a saying 
in  Hayti  that  the  white  man  has  no  rights  which  the  blacks 
are  bound  to  recognise. 

I walked  forward  after  we  had  done  talking.  We  had  five 
hundred  of  the  poor  creatures  on  boai'd  on  their  way  to  the 
Darien  pandemonium.  The  vessel  was  rolling  with  a heavy 
beam  sea.  I found  the  whole  mass  of  them  reduced  into  the 
condition  of  the  pigs  who  used  to  occupy  the  foredeck  in  the 
Cork  and  Bristol  packets.  They  wrere  lying  in  a confused 
heap  together,  helpless,  miserable,  without  consciousness  ap- 
parently, save  a sense  in  each  that  he  was  wretched.  Unfor- 
tunate brothers-in-law  ! following  the  laws  of  political  econ- 
omy, and  carrying  their  labour  to  the  dearest  market,  where, 
before  a year  was  out,  half  of  them  were  to  die.  They  had 
souls,  too,  some  of  them,  and  honest  and  kindly  hearts.  I 
obsei’ved  one  man  who  was  suffering  less  than  the  rest  read- 
ing aloud  to  a prostrate  group  a chapter  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment ; another  was  reading  to  himself  a French  Catholic 
book  of  devotion. 

The  dawn  wras  breaking  in  the  east  when  I came  on  deck 
in  the  morning.  The  Blue  Mountains  were  hanging  over  us 


Kingston. 


193 


on  our  right  hand,  the  peaks  buried  in  white  mist  which  the 
unrisen  sun  was  faintly  tinting  with  orange.  We  had  passed 
Morant  Bay,  the  scene  of  Gordon’s  rash  attempt  to  imitate 
Toussaint  l’Ouverture.  As  so  often  in  the  Antilles,  a level 
plain  stretched  between  the  sea  and  the  base  of  the  hills, 
formed  by  the  debris  washed  down  by  the  rivers  in  the  rainy 
season.  Among  cane  fields  and  cocoa-nut  groves  we  saw 
houses  and  the  chimneys  of  the  sugar  factories  ; and,  as  we 
came  nearer,  we  saw  men  and  horses  going  to  their  early 
work.  Presently  Kingston  itself  came  in  sight,  and  Up  Park 
Camp,  and  the  white  barracks  high  up  on  the  mountain  side, 
of  which  one  had  read  and  heard  so  much.  Here  was  act- 
ually Tom  Cringle’s  Kingston,  and  between  us  and  the  town 
was  the  long  sand  spit  which  incloses  the  lagoon  at  the  head 
of  which  it  is  built.  How  this  natural  breakwater  had  been  de- 
posited I could  find  no  one  to  tell  me.  It  is  eight  miles  long, 
rising  but  a few  feet  above  the  water-line,  in  places  not  more 
than  thirty  yards  across — nowhere,  except  at  the  extremity, 
more  than  sixty  or  a hundred.  The  thundering  swell  of  the 
Caribbean  Sea  breaks  upon  it  from  year’s  end  to  year’s  end, 
and  never  washes  it  any  thinner.  Where  the  sand  is  dry,  be- 
yond the  reach  of  the  waves,  it  is  planted  thickly  all  along 
with  palms,  and  appears  from  the  sea  a soft  green  line,  over 
which  appear  the  masts  and  spars  of  the  vessels  at  anchor  in 
the  harbour,  and  the  higher  houses  of  Kingston  itself.  To 
reach  the  opening  into  the  lagoon  you  have  to  run  on  to  the 
end  of  the  sandbank,  where  there  is  a peninsula  on  which  is 
built  the  Port  Royal  so  famous  in  West  Indian  story.  Half- 
way down  among  the  palms  the  lighthouse  stands,  from  which 
a gun  was  fired  as  we  passed,  to  give  notice  that  the  English 
mail  was  coming  in.  Treacherous  coral  reefs  rise  out  of  the 
deep  water  for  several  miles,  some  under  water  and  visible 
only  by  the  breakers  over  them,  others  forming  into  low 
wooded  islands.  Only  local  pilots  can  take  a ship  safely 
13 


194  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

through  these  powerful  natural  defence  works.  There  are 
but  two  channels  through  which  the  lagoon  can  be  ap- 
proached. The  eastern  passage,  along  which  we  were  steam- 
ing, runs  so  near  the  shore  that  an  enemy’s  ship  would  be 
destroyed  by  the  batteries  among  the  sandhills  long  before  it 
could  reach  the  mouth.  The  western  passage  is  less  intricate, 
but  that  also  is  commanded  by  powerful  forts.  In  old  times 
Kingston  was  unattackable,  so  strong  had  the  position  been 
made  by  nature  and  art  combined.  It  could  be  shelled  now 
over  the  spit  from  the  open  sea.  It  might  be  destroyed,  but 
even  so  could  not  easily  be  taken. 

I do  not  know  that  I have  ever  seen  any  scene  more  inter- 
esting than  that  which  broke  upon  my  eyes  as  we  rounded 
the  point,  and  the  lagoon  opened  out  before  me.  Kingston, 
which  we  had  passed  half  an  hour  before,  lay  six  miles  off  at 
the  head  of  it,  now  inside  the  sand  ridge,  blue  and  hazy  in 
the  distance.  At  the  back  were  the  mountains.  The  mist 
had  melted  off,  standing  in  shadowy  grey  masses  with  the 
sun  rising  behind  them.  Immediately  in  front  were  the 
dockyards,  forts,  and  towers  of  Port  Royal,  with  the  guard- 
ship,  gunboats,  and  tenders,  with  street  and  terrace,  roof  and 
turret  and  glistening  vane,  all  clearly  and  sharply  defined  in 
the  exquisite  transparency  of  the  air.  The  associations  of 
the  place  no  doubt  added  to  the  impression.  Before  the  first 
hut  was  run  up  in  Kingston,  Port  Royal  was  the  rendezvous 
of  all  English  ships  which,  for  spoil  or  commerce,  frequented 
the  West  Indian  seas.  Here  the  buccaneers  sold  their  plun- 
der and  squandered  their  gains  in  gambling  and  riot.  Here 
in  the  later  century  of  legitimate  wars,  whole  fleets  were 
gathered  to  take  in  stores,  or  refit  when  shattered  by  engage- 
ments. Here  Nelson  had  been,  and  Collingwood  and  Jervis, 
and  all  our  other  naval  heroes.  Here  prizes  were  brought  in 
for  adjudication,  and  pirates  to  be  tried  and  hanged.  In  this 
spot  more  than  in  any  other,  beyond  Great  Britain  herself, 


PORT  ROYAL,  JAMAICA. 


Port  Royal. 


195 


the  energy  of  the  Empire  once  was  throbbing.  The  ‘Urgent,’ 
an  old  two-decker,  and  three  gunboats  were  all  that  were  now 
floating  in  the  once  crowded  water  ; the  ‘ Urgent,’  no  longer 
equipped  for  active  service,  imperfectly  armed,  inadequately 
manned,  but  still  flaunting  the  broad  white  ensign,  and 
grand  with  the  houses  which  lay  behind  her.  There  were 
batteries  at  the  point,  and  batteries  on  the  opposite  shore. 
The  morning  bugle  rang  out  clear  and  inspiriting  from  the 
town,  and  white  coats  and  gold  and  silver  lace  glanced  in  and 
out  as  men  and  officers  were  passing  to  parade.  Here,  at 
any  rate,  England  was  still  alive. 

The  channel  at  the  entrance  is  a mile  in  width.  The  lagoon 
(the  open  part  of  it)  may  be  seven  or  eight  miles  long  and 
half  as  many  broad.  It  forms  the  mouth  of  the  Cobre  river, 
one  of  the  largest  in  Jamaica,  on  which,  ten  miles  up,  stands 
the  original  seat  of  government  established  by  the  Spaniards, 
and  called  after  them  Spanish  Town.  The  fashion  of  past 
times,  as  old  as  the  times  of  Thucydides,  and  continued  on 
till  the  end  of  the  last  century,  was  to  choose  the  sites  for 
important  towns  in  estuaries,  at  a distance  from  the  sea,  to  be 
out  of  the  reach  of  pirates.  The  Cobre,  running  down  from 
Spanish  Town,  turns  the  plain  through  which  it  flows  into  a 
swamp.  The  swamp  covers  itself  with  mangroves,  and  the 
mangroves  fringe  the  shore  of  the  lagoon  itself  for  two-thirds 
of  its  circuit.  As  Jamaica  grew  in  wealth  and  population  the 
trade  was  carried  from  Port  Eoyal  deeper  into  the  bay.  An- 
other town  sprang  up  there,  called  King’s  Town,  or  shortly 
‘Kingston.’  The  administration  was  removed  thither  for 
convenience,  and  though  fallen  away  from  its  old  conse- 
quence, Kingston,  with  its  extended  suburbs,  its  churches 
and  warehouses,  and  large  mansions  overhung  with  trees, 
looks  at  a distance  like  a place  of  consideration.  Many 
ships  lay  along  the  wharves,  or  anchored  a few  cables’  dis- 
tance off.  Among  them  were  a couple  of  Spanish  frigates, 


196  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

which  remain  there  in  permanence  on  the  watch  for  refu- 
gees from  Cuba.  On  the  slopes  behind  the  town,  as  far  as 
eye  could  see,  were  the  once  splendid  estates  of  the  sugar 
princes  of  the  last  century.  One  of  them  was  pointed  out 
to  me  as  the  West  Indian  home  of  the  author  of,  ‘Tom 
Cringle.’ 

We  had  to  stop  for  a few  minutes  as  the  officer  of  the  port 
came  alongside  for  the  mails.  We  then  went  on  at  reduced 
speed.  The  lagoon  is  generally  shoal.  A deep  water  chan- 
nel runs  along  the  side  of  it  which  is  farthest  from  the  sea  ; 
made,  I suppose,  by  the  river,  for  as  usual  there  is  little  tide 
or  none.  Halfway  up  we  passed  under  the  walls  of  Fort 
Augusta,  now  a ruin  and  almost  deserted,  but  once  mounting 
a hundred  guns.  The  money  which  we  spent  on  the  defence 
of  Jamaica  in  the  old  times  was  not  always  laid  out  wisely,  as 
will  be  seen  in  an  account  which  I shall  have  to  give  of  this 
remarkable  structure  ; but,  at  any  rate,  we  were  lavish  of  it. 

Of  the  sharks  with  which  the  water  used  to  swarm  we  saw 
none.  Port  Koyal  Jack  and  his  kindred  are  said  to  have  dis- 
appeared, driven  or  frightened  out  by  the  screws  of  the 
steamers.  But  it  is  not  a place  which  I should  choose  for  a 
swim.  Nor  did  the  nigger  boys  seem  as  anxious  as  I had 
seen  them  in  other  spots  to  dive  for  sixpences  under  the 
ship’s  side. 

No  account  is  made  of  days  when  you  come  into  port  after 
a voyage.  Cargoes  have  to  be  landed,  or  coal  has  to  be  taken 
in.  The  donkey  engines  are  at  work,  hoisting  packing  cases 
and  luggage  out  of  the  hold.  Stewards  run  to  and  fro,  and 
state-room  doors  are  opened,  and  busy  figures  are  seen 
through  each,  stuffing  their  portmanteaus  and  preparing  for 
departure.  The  church  bells  at  Kingston,  ringing  for  early 
service,  reminded  me  that  it  was  Sunday.  We  brought  up 
at  a jetty,  and  I cannot  say  that,  close  at  hand,  the  town  was 
as  attractive  as  it  had  appeared  when  first  I saw  it.  The  en- 


Kingston  Harbour. 


197 


chantment  was  gone.  The  blue  haze  of  distance  gave  place  to 
reality.  The  water  was  so  fetid  under  the  ship’s  sides  that  it 
could  not  be  pumped  into  the  baths.  Odours,  not  Arabian, 
from  open  drains  reminded  me  of  Jacmel.  The  streets,  up 
which  I could  see  from  the  afterdeck,  looked  dirty  and  the 
houses  shabby.  Docks  and  wharves,  however,  are  never  the 
brightest  part  of  any  town,  English  or  foreign.  There  were 
people  enough  at  any  rate,  and  white  faces  enough  among 
them.  Gangways  were  rigged  from  the  ship  to  the  shore, 
and  ladies  and  gentlemen  rushed  on  board  to  meet  their 
friends.  The  companies’  agents  appeared  in  the  captain’s 
cabin.  Porters  were  scrambling  for  luggage  ; pushing,  shov- 
ing, and  swearing.  Passengers  who  had  come  out  with  us, 
and  had  never  missed  attendance  at  the  breakfast  table,  were 
hurrying  home  unbreakfasted  to  their  wives  and  families. 
My  own  plans  were  uncertain.  I had  no  friends,  not  even  an 
acquaintance.  I knew  nothing  of  the  hotels  and  lodging 
houses,  save  that  they  had  generally  a doubtful  reputation. 
I had  brought  with  me  a letter  of  introduction  to  Sir  H. 
Norman,  the  governor,  but  Sir  Henry  had  gone  to  England. 
On  the  whole,  I thought  it  best  to  inclose  the  letter  to  Mr. 
Walker,  the  Colonial  Secretary,  who  I understood  was  in 
Kingston,  with  a note  asking  for  advice.  This  I sent  by  a 
messenger.  Meanwhile  I stayed  on  board  to  look  about  me 
from  the  deck.  The  ship  was  to  go  on  the  next  morning  to 
the  canal  works  at  Darien.  Time  was  precious.  Immediately 
on  arriving  she  had  begun  to  take  in  coal,  Sunday  though  it 
might  be,  and  a singular  spectacle  it  was.  The  coal  yard  was 
close  by,  and  some  hundreds  of  negroes,  women  and  men,  but 
women  in  four  times  the  number,  were  hard  at  work.  The 
entire  process  was  by  hand  and  basket,  each  basket  holding 
from  eighty  to  a hundred  pounds  weight.  Two  planks  were 
laid  down  at  a steep  incline  from  the  ship’s  deck  to  the  yard. 
Swinging  their  loads  on  their  heads,  erect  as  statues,  and 


198 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

with  a step  elastic  as  a racehorse’s,  they  marched  up  one  of 
the  planks,  emptied  their  baskets  into  the  coal  bunkers,  and 
ran  down  the  other.  Round  and  round  they  went  under  the 
blazing  sun  all  the  morning  through,  and  round  and  round 
they  would  continue  to  go  all  the  afternoon.  The  men  took 
it  comparatively  easy.  The  women  flew  along,  laughing,  and 
clamouring,  as  if  not  knowing  what  weariness  was — willing 
beasts  of  burden,  for  they  had  the  care  upon  them  of  their 
children  ; the  men  disclaiming  all  responsibilities  on  that 
score,  after  the  babies  have  been  once  brought  into  the  world. 
The  poor  women  are  content  with  the  arrangement,  which 
they  prefer  to  what  they  would  regal’d  as  legal  bondage. 
They  earn  at  this  coaling  work  seven  or  eight  shillings  a day. 
If  they  were  wives,  their  husbands  would  take  it  from  them 
and  spend  it  in  rum.  The  companion  who  is  not  a wife  can 
refuse  and  keep  her  earnings  for  her  little  ones.  If  black 
suffrage  is  to  be  the  rule  in  Jamaica,  I would  take  it  away 
from  the  men  and  would  give  it  to  the  superior  sex.  The 
women  are  the  working  bees  of  the  hive.  They  would  make 
a tolerable  nation  of  black  amazons,  and  the  babies  would  not 
be  offered  to  Jumbi. 

"When  I had  finished  my  meditations  on  the  coaling  women, 
there  were  other  black  creatures  to  wonder  at ; great  boobies 
or  pelicans,  old  acquaintances  of  the  Zoological  Gardens,  who 
act  as  scavengers  in  these  waters.  We  had  perhaps  a couple 
of  dozen  of  them  round  us  as  large  as  vultures,  ponderous 
and  sleepy  to  look  at  when  squatting  on  rocks  or  piles,  over- 
weighted  by  their  enormous  bills.  On  the  wing  they  were 
astonishingly  swift,  wheeling  in  circles,  till  they  could  fix 
then-  prey  with  their  eyes,  then  pouncing  upon  it  with  a 
violent  slanting  plunge.  I suppose  their  beaks  might  be 
broken  if  they  struck  directly,  but  I never  saw  one  miss  its 
aim.  Nor  do  they  ever  go  below  the  surface,  but  seize  always 
what  is  close  to  it.  I was  told — I do  not  know  how  truly — 


A West  Indian  Breakfast. 


199 


that  like  the  diablots  in  Dominica,  they  nest  in  the  mountains 
and  only  come  down  to  the  sea  to  feed. 

Hearing  that  I was  in  search  of  quarters,  a Miss  Burton,  a 
handsome  mulatto  woman,  came  up  and  introduced  herself  to 
me.  Hotels  in  the  English  West  Indies  are  generally  detest- 
able. This  dame  had  set  up  a boarding  house  on  improved 
principles,  or  rather  two  boarding  houses,  between  which  she 
invited  me  to  take  my  choice,  one  in  the  suburbs  of  King- 
ston, one  on  the  bank  of  a river  in  a rocky  gorge  in  the  Blue 
Mountains.  In  either  of  these  she  promised  that  she  would 
make  me  happy,  and  I do  not  doubt  that  she  would  have  suc- 
ceeded, for  her  fame  had  spread  through  all  Jamaica,  and  her 
face  was  as  merry  as  it  was  honest.  As  it  turned  out  I was 
provided  for  elsewhere,  and  I lost  the  chance  of  making  an 
acquaintance  which  I should  have  valued.  When  she  spoke 
to  me  she  seemed  a very  model  of  vigour  and  health.  She 
died  suddenly  while  I was  in  the  island. 

It  was  still  early.  When  the  vessel  was  in  some  order 
again,  and  those  who  were  going  on  shore  had  disappeared, 
the  rest  of  us  were  called  down  to  breakfast  to  taste  some  of 
those  Jamaica  delicacies  on  which  Paul  Gelid  was  so  elo- 
quent. The  fruit  was  the  chief  attraction  : pineapples,  of 
which  one  can  eat  as  much  as  one  likes  in  these  countries 
with  immunity  from  after  suffering  ; oranges,  more  excellent 
than  even  those  of  Grenada  and  Dominica  ; shaddocks,  ad- 
mirable as  that  memorable  one  which  seduced  Adam  ; and 
for  the  first  time  mangoes,  the  famous  Number  Eleven  of 
which  I had  heard  such  high  report,  and  was  now  to  taste. 
The  English  gardeners  can  do  much,  but  they  cannot  ripen  a 
Number  Eleven,  and  it  is  too  delicate  to  bear  carriage.  It 
must  be  eaten  in  the  tropics  or  nowhere.  The  mango  is  the 
size  and  shape  of  a swan’s  egg,  of  a ruddy  yellow  colour  when 
ripe,  and  in  flavour  like  an  exceptionally  good  apricot,  with  a 
very  slight  intimation  of  resin.  The  stone  is  disproportion- 


200 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


ately  large.  The  flesh  adheres  to  it,  and  one  abandons  as 
hopeless  the  attempt  to  eat  mangoes  with  clean  lips  and  fin- 
gers. The  epicures  insist  that  they  should  be  eaten  only  in 
a bath. 

The  heat  was  considerable,  and  the  feast  of  fruit  was  the 
more  welcome.  Soon  after  the  Colonial  Secretary  politely 
answered  my  note  in  person.  In  the  absence  of  the  governor 
of  a colony,  the  colonial  secretary,  as  a rule,  takes  his  place. 
In  Jamaica,  and  wherever  we  have  a garrison,  the  commander 
of  the  forces  becomes  acting  governor  ; I suppose  because  it 
is  not  convenient  to  place  an  officer  of  high  military  rank 
under  the  orders  of  a civilian  who  is  not  the  direct  represent- 
ative of  the  sovereign.  In  the  gentleman  who  now  called  on 
me  I found  an  old  acquaintance  whom  I had  known  as  a boy 
many  years  ago.  He  told  me  that,  if  I had  made  no  other 

arrangements,  Colonel  J , who  was  the  present  chief,  was 

expecting  me  to  be  his  guest  at  the  ‘ King’s  House  ’ during 
my  stay  in  Jamaica.  My  reluctance  to  trespass  on  the  hospi- 
tality of  an  entire  stranger  was  not  to  be  allowed.  Soldiers 
who  have  distinguished  themselves  are,  next  to  lawyers,  the 


most  agreeable  people  to  be  met  with,  and  when  I was  con-  j 
vinced  that  I should  really  be  welcome,  I had  no  other  objec- 
tion. An  aide-de-camp,  I was  told,  would  call  for  me  in  the 
afternoon.  Meanwhile  the  secretary  stayed  with  me  for  an 
hour  or  two,  and  I was  able  to  learn  something  authentic 
from  him  as  to  the  general  condition  of  things.  I had  not 
given  entire  credit  to  the  representations  of  my  planter  friend 
of  the  evening  before.  Mr.  Walker  took  a more  cheerful 
view,  and,  although  the  prospects  were  not  as  bright  as  they 
might  be,  he  saw  no  reason  for  despondency.  Sugar  was 
down  of  course.  The  public  debt  had  increased,  and  taxa-  i 
tion  was  heavy.  Many  gentlemen  in  Jamaica,  as  in  the  An-  J 
tilles,  were  selling,  or  trying  to  sell,  their  estates  and  go  out 
of  it.  On  the  other  hand,  expenses  of  government  were  be- f 


201 


The  Colonial  Secretary. 

ing  reduced,  and  the  revenue  showed  a surplus.  The  fruit 
trade  with  the  United  States  was  growing,  and  promised  to 
grow  still  further.  American  capitalists  had  come  into  the 
island,  and  were  experimenting  on  various  industries.  The 
sugar  treaty  with  America  would  naturally  have  been  wel- 
come ; but  Jamaica  was  less  dependent  on  its  sugar  crop,  and 
the  action  of  the  British  Government  was  less  keenly  re- 
sented. In  the  Antilles,  the  Colonial  Secretary  admitted, 
there  might  be  a desire  for  annexation  to  the  United  States, 
and  Jamaican  landowners  had  certainly  expressed  the  same 
wish  to  myself.  Mr.  Walker,  however,  assured  me  that,  while 
the  blacks  would  oppose  it  unanimously,  the  feeling,  if  it 
existed  at  all  among  the  whites,  was  confined  as  yet  to  a very 
few  persons.  They  had  been  English  for  230  years,  and  the 
large  majority  of  them  wished  to  remain  English.  There 
had  been  suffering  among  them  ; but  there  had  been  suffer- 
ing in  other  places  besides  Jamaica.  Better  times  might  per- 
haps be  coming  with  the  opening  of  the  Darien  canal,  when 
Kingston  might  hope  to  become  again  the  centre  of  a trade. 
Of  the  negroes,  both  men  and  women,  Mr.  Walker  spoke  ex- 
tremely favourably.  They  were  far  less  indolent  than  they 
were  supposed  to  be  ; they  were  settling  on  the  waste  lands, 
acquiring  property,  growing  yams  and  oranges,  and  harming 
no  one  ; they  had  no  grievance  left ; they  knew  it,  and  were 
perfectly  contented. 

As  Mr.  Walker  was  an  official,  I did  not  ask  him  about  the 
working  of  the  recent  changes  in  the  constitution  ; nor  could 
he  have  properly  answered  me  if  I had.  The  state  of  things 
is  briefly  this  : Jamaica,  after  the  first  settlement,  received  a 
parliamentary  form  of  government,  modelled  on  that  of  Ire- 
land, the  colonial  liberties  being  restricted  by  a law  analo- 
gous to  Poynings’  Act.  The  legislature,  so  constructed,  of 
course  represented  the  white  interest  only  and  was  entirely 
composed  of  whites.  It  remained  substantially  unaltered  till 


202  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

1853,  when  modifications  were  made  which  admitted  coloured 
men  to  the  suffrage,  though  with  so  high  a franchise  as  to  be 
almost  exclusive.  It  became  generally  felt  that  the  franchise 
would  have  to  be  extended.  A popular  movement,  led  by 
Mr.  Gordon,  who  was  a member  of  the  legislature,  developed 
into  a riot,  into  bloodshed  and  panic.  Gordon  was  hanged 
by  a court-martial,  and  the  assembly,  aware  that,  if  allowed 
to  exist  any  longer,  it  could  exist  only  with  the  broad  ad- 
mission of  the  negro  vote,  pronounced  its  own  dissolution, 
surrendered  its  powers  to  the  Crown,  and  represented  for- 
mally ‘that  nothing  but  a strong  government  could  prevent 
the  island  from  lapsing  into  the  condition  of  Hayti.’ 

The  surrender  was  accepted.  Jamaica  was  administered 
till  within  the  last  three  years  by  a governor,  officials,  and 
council,  all  nominated  by  the  Queen.  No  dissatisfaction  had 
been  expressed,  and  the  blacks  at  least  had  enjoyed  a pros- 
perity and  tranquillity  which  had  been  unbroken  by  a single 
disturbance.  If  the  island  has  suffered,  it  has  suffered  from 
causes  with  which  political  dissatisfaction  has  had  nothing  to 
do,  and  which,  therefore,  political  changes  cannot  remove. 
In  1884  Mr.  Gladstone’s  Government,  for  reasons  which  I 
have  not  been  able  to  ascertain,  revived  suddenly  the  repre- 
sentative system  ; constructed  a council  composed  equally  of 
nominated  and  of  elected  members,  and  placed  the  franchise 
so  low  as  to  include  practically  every  negro  peasant  who  pos- 
sessed a hut  and  a garden.  So  long  as  the  Crown  retains  and 
exercises  its  power  of  nomination,  no  worse  results  can  ensue 
than  the  inevitable  discontent  when  the  votes  of  the  elected 
members  are  disregarded  or  overborne.  But  to  have  vent- 
ured so  important  an  alteration  with  the  intention  of  leaving 
it  without  further  extension  would  have  been  an  act  of  gra- 
tuitous folly,  of  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  imagine  an 
English  cabinet  to  have  been  capable.  It  is  therefore  as- 
sumed and  understood  to  have  been  no  more  than  an  initial 


Jamaican  Constitution. 


203 


step  towards  passing  on  the  management  of  Jamaica  to  the 
black  constituencies.  It  has  been  so  construed  in  the  other 
islands,  and  was  the  occasion  of  the  agitation  in  Trinidad 
which  I observed  when  I was  there. 

My  own  opinion  as  to  the  wisdom  of  such  an  experiment 
matters  little  : but  I have  a right  to  say  that  neither  blacks 
nor  whites  have  asked  for  it ; that  no  one  who  knows  any- 
thing of  the  West  Indies  and  wishes  them  to  remain  English 
sincerely  asked  for  it  ; that  no  one  agitated  for  it  save  a few 
newspaper  writers  and  mulattoes  whom  it  would  raise  into 
consequence.  If  tried  at  all,  it  will  be  tried  either  with  a 
deliberate  intention,  of  cutting  Jamaica  free  from  us  alto- 
gether, or  else  in  deference  to  English  political  superstitions, 
which  attribute  supernatural  virtues  to  the  exercise  of  the 
franchise,  and  assume  that  a form  of  self-government  which 
suits  us  tolerably  at  home  will  be  equally  beneficial  in  all 
countries  and  under  all  conditions. 


CHAPTER  Xm. 


The  English  mails — Irish  agitation — Two  kinds  of  colonies — Indian  ad- 
ministration — How  far  applicable  in  the  West  Indies — Land  at  Kings- 
ton— Government  House — Dinnerparty — Interesting  officer — Majuba 
Hill — Mountain  station — Kingston  curiosities — Tobacco— Valley  in 
the  Blue  Mountains. 

I am  reminded  as  I write  of  an  adventure  which  befell  Arch- 
bishop Whately  soon  after  his  promotion  to  the  see  of  Dublin. 
On  arriving  in  Ireland  he  saw  that  the  people  were  miser- 
able. The  cause,  in  his  mind,  was  their  ignorance  of  po- 
litical economy,  of  which  he  had  himself  written  what  he  re- 
garded as  an  excellent  manual.  An  Irish  translation  of  this 
manual  he  conceived  would  be  the  best  possible  medicine, 
and  he  commissioned  a native  Scripture  reader  to  make  one. 
To  insure  correctness  he  required  the  reader  to  retranslate  to 
him  what  he  had  written  line  by  line.  He  observed  that  the 
man  as  he  read  turned  sometimes  two  pages  at  a time.  The 
text  went  on  correctly,  but  his  quick  eye  perceived  that  some- 
thing was  written  on  the  intervening  leaves.  He  insisted  on 
knowing  what  it  was,  and  at  last  extorted  an  explanation, 
‘Your  Grace,  me  and  my  comrade  conceived  that  it  was 
mighty  dry  reading,  so  we  have  just  interposed  now  and  then 
a bit  of  a pawem,  to  help  it  forward,  your  Grace.’  I am  my- 
self imitating  the  translators,  and  making  sandwiches  out  of 
politics  and  local  descriptions. 

We  had  brought  the  English  mails  with  us.  There  were 
letters  to  read  which  had  been  in  the  ship  with  us,  though 
out  of  our  reach.  There  were  the  newspapers  to  read. 


Letters  from,  England. 


205 


They  told  me  nothing  hut  the  weary  round  of  Irish  outrages 
and  the  rival  remedies  of  Tory  or  Kadical  politicians  who 
cared  for  Ireland  less  than  I did,  and  considered  only  how  to 
trim  their  sails  to  keep  in  office  or  to  get  it.  How  sick  one 
is  of  all  that ! Half-a-dozen  times  at  least  in  Anglo-Irish  his- 
tory things  have  come  to  the  same  point.  ‘ All  Ireland  can- 
not govern  the  Earl  of  Kildare,’  said  some  one  in  Henry  YIH’s 
privy  council.  Then  answered  Wolsey,  in  the  tone  of  Mr. 
Gladstone,  ‘ Let  the  Earl  of  Kildare  govern  all  Ireland.’ 
Elizabeth  wished  to  conciliate.  Shan  O’Neil,  Desmond,  Ty- 
rone promised  in  turn  to  rule  Ireland  in  loyal  union  with 
England  under  Irish  ideas.  Lord  Grey,  who  was  for  c a Ma- 
hometan conquest,’ was  censured  and  ‘girded  at:’  yet  the 
end  was  always  broken  heads.  From  1641  to  1649  an  Irish 
parliament  sat  at  Kilkenny,  and  Charles  I.  and  the  Tories 
dreamt  of  an  alliance  between  Irish  popery  and  English  loy- 
alism.  Charles  lost  his  head,  and  Cromwell  had  to  make  an 
end  of  Kish  self-government  at  Drogheda  and  Wexford.  Tyr- 
connell  and  James  II.  were  to  repeal  the  Act  of  Settlement 
and  restore  the  forfeited  lands  to  the  old  owners.  The  end 
of  that  came  at  the  Boyne  and  at  Aghrim.  Grattan  would 
remake  the  Irish  nation.  The  English  Liberals  sent  Lord 
Fitzwilliam  to  help  him,  and  the  Saxon  mastiff  and  the  Celtic 
wolf  were  to  live  as  brothers  evermore.  The  result  has  been 
always  the  same  ; the  wretched  country  inflated  with  a dream 
of  independence,  and  then  trampled  into  mud  again.  So  it 
has  been.  So  it  will  be  again.  Ireland  cannot  be  independ- 
ent, for  England  is  stronger  than  she,  and  cannot  permit  it. 
Yet  nothing  less  will  satisfy  her.  And  so  there  has  been 
always  a weary  round  of  fruitless  concessions  leading  to  de- 
mands which  cannot  be  gratified,  and  in  the  end  we  are 
driven  back  upon  force,  which  the  miserable  people  lack  the 
courage  to  encounter  like  men.  Mr.  Gladstone’s  experiment 
differs  only  from  its  antecedents  because  in  the  past  the  Eng- 


206  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

lish  friends  of  Irish  liberty  had  a real  hope  that  a reconcilia- 
tion was  possible.  They  believed  in  what  they  were  trying 
to  do.  The  present  enterprise  is  the  creation  of  parliament- 
ary faction.  I have  never  met  any  person  acquainted  with 
the  minds  and  motives  of  the  public  men  of  the  day  who 
would  not  confess  to  me  that,  if  it  had  suited  the  interests  of 
the  leaders  of  the  present  Radical  party  to  adopt  the  Irish 
policy  of  the  Long  Parliament,  their  energy  and  their  elo- 
quence would  have  been  equally  at  the  service  of  the  Protest- 
ant ascendency,  which  they  have  now  denounced  as  a upas 
tree.  They  even  ask  you  with  wide  eyes  what  else  you 
would  expect  ? 

Mr.  Sexton  says  that  if  England  means  to  govern  Ireland 
she  must  keep  an  army  there  as  large  as  she  keeps  in  India. 
England  could  govern  Ireland  in  perfect  peace,  without  an 
army  at  all,  if  there  was  no  faction  in  the  House  of  Commons. 
Either  party  government  will  destroy  the  British  Empire,  or 
the  British  nation  will  make  an  end  of  party  government  on 
its  present  lines.  There  are  sounds  in  the  air  like  the  cracking 
of  the  ice  of  the  Neva  at  the  incoming  of  spring,  as  if  a nobler 
spirit  was  at  last  awaking  in  us.  In  a few  more  years  there 
may  be  no  more  Radicals  and  no  more  Conservatives,  and  the 
nation  will  be  all  in  all. 

Here  is  the  answer  to  the  question  so  often  asked,  What  is 
the  use  of  the  colonies  to  us  ? The  colonies  are  a hundred- 
fold multiplication  of  the  area  of  our  own  limited  islands. 
In  taking  possession  of  so  large  a portion  of  the  globe,  we 
hove  enabled  ourselves  to  spread  and  increase  and  carry  our- 
selves, our  language  and  our  liberties,  into  all  climates  and 
continents.  We  overflow  at  home  ; there  are  too  many  of  us 
here  already ; and  if  no  lands  belonged  to  us  but  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  we  should  become  a small  insignificant  power 
beside  the  mighty  nations  which  are  forming  around  us. 
There  is  space  for  hundreds  of  millions  of  us  in  the  terri- 


207 


The  Use  of  Colonies. 

tories  of  which  we  and  our  fathers  have  possessed  ourselves. 
In  Canada,  Australia,  New  Zealand  we  add  to  our  numbers 
and  our  resources.  There  are  so  many  more  Englishmen  in 
the  world  able  to  hold  their  own  against  the  mightiest  of 
their  rivals.  And  we  have  another  function,  such  as  the  Ro- 
mans had.  The  sections  of  men  on  this  globe  are  unequally 
gifted.  Some  are  strong  and  can  govern  themselves ; some 
are  weak  and  are  the  prey  of  foreign  invaders  or  internal 
anarchy ; and  freedom,  which  all  desire,  is  only  attainable  by 
weak  nations  when  they  are  subject  to  the  rule  of  others  who 
are  at  once  powerful  and  just.  This  was  the  duty  which  fell 
to  the  Latin  race  two  thousand  years  ago.  In  these  modern 
times  it  has  fallen  to  ours,  and  in  the  discharge  of  it  the 
highest  features  in  the  English  character  have  displayed  them- 
selves. Circumstances  forced  on  us  the  conquest  of  India  ; 
we  have  given  India  in  return  internal  peace  undisturbed  by 
tribal  quarrels  or  the  ambitions  of  dangerous  neighbours,  with 
a law  which  deals  out  right  to  high  and  low  among  250,000, 
000  human  beings. 

Never  have  rulers  been  less  self-seeking  than  we  have  been 
in  our  Asiatic  empire.  No  ‘ lex  de  repetundis  ’ has  been 
needed  to  punish  avaricious  proconsuls  who  had  fattened 
on  the  provinces.  In  such  positions  the  English  show  at 
their  best,  and  do  their  best.  India  has  been  the  training 
school  of  our  greatest  soldiers  and  greatest  administrators. 
Strike  off  the  Anglo-Indian  names  from  the  roll  of  famous 
Englishmen,  and  we  shall  lose  the  most  illustrious  of  them 
all. 

In  India  the  rule  of  England  has  been  an  unexampled  suc- 
cess, glorious  to  ourselves  and  of  infinite  benefit  to  our  sub- 
jects, because  we  have  been  upright  and  disinterested,  and 
have  tried  sincerely  and  honourably  to  do  our  duty.  In  other 
countries  belonging  to  us,  where  with  the  same  methods  we 
night  have  produced  the  same  results,  we  have  applied  them 


208  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

with  a hesitating  and  less  clean  hand.  We  planted  Ireland  as 
a colony  with  our  own  people,  we  gave  them  a parliament  of 
their  own,  and  set  them  to  govern  the  native  Irish  for  us, 
instead  of  doing  it  ourselves,  to  save  appearances  and  to  save 
trouble.  We  have  not  failed  altogether.  All  the  good  that 
has  been  done  at  all  in  that  poor  island  has  been  done  by  the 
Anglo-Irish  landlords.  But  it  has  not  been  much,  as  the  pres- 
ent condition  of  things  shows.  In  the  West  Indies  similarly 
the  first  settlers  carried  with  them  their  English  institutions. 
They  were  themselves  a handful.  The  bulk  of  the  population 
were  slaves,  and  as  long  as  slavery  continued  those  institu- 
tion continued  to  work  tolerably  in  the  interest  of  the  white 
race.  When  the  slaves  were  emancipated,  the  distinction  of 
colour  done  away  with,  and  the  black  multitude  and  their 
white  employers  made  equal  before  the  law  and  equally  priv- 
ileged, constitutional  government  became  no  longer  adapted  to 
the  new  conditions.  The  white  minority  could  not  be  trusted 
with  the  exclusive  possession  of  political  power.  The  blacks 
could  not  be  trusted,  with  the  equally  dangerous  supremacy 
which  their  numbers  would  insure  them.  Our  duty,  if  we  did 
not  and  do  not  mean  to  abandon  them  altogether,  has  been 
to  govern  both  with  the  same  equity  with  which  we  govern  at 
Calcutta.  If  you  choose  to  take  a race  like  the  Irish  or  like 
the  negroes  whom  you  have  forced  into  an  unwilling  subjec- 
tion and  have  not  treated  when  in  that  condition  with  per- 
fect justice — if  you  take  such  a race,  strike  the  fetters  off  them, 
and  arm  them  at  once  with  all  the  powers  and  privileges  of 
loyal  citizens,  you  ought  not  to  be  surprised  if  they  attribute 
your  concessions  to  fear,  and  if  they  turn  again  and  rend  you. 
When  we  are  brought  in  contact  with  races  of  men  who  are 
not  strong  enough  or  brave  enough  to  defend  their  own  in- 
dependence, and  whom  our  own  safety  cannot  allow  to  fall 
under  any  other  power,  our  right  and  our  duty  is  to  govern 
such  races  and  to  govern  them  well,  or  they  will  have  a right 


Meditations  on  Government. 


209 


in  turn  to  cut  our  throats.  This  is  our  mission.  When  we 
have  dared  to  act  up  to  it  we  have  succeeded  magnificently  ; 
we  have  failed  when  we  have  paltered  and  trifled  ; and  we 
shall  fail  again,  and  the  great  empire  on  which  the  sun  never 
sets  will  be  shattered  to  atoms,  if  we  refuse  to  look  facts  in 
the  face. 

Prom  these  meditations,  suggested  by  the  batch  of  news- 
papers which  I had  been  studying,  I was  roused  by  the  ar- 
rival of  the  promised  aide-de-camp,  a good-looking  and  good- 
humoured  young  officer  in  white  uniform  (they  all  wear  white 
in  the  tropics),  who  had  brought  the  governor’s  carriage  for 
me.  Government  House,  or  King’s  House,  as  it  is  called, 
answering  to  a ‘ Queen’s  House  ’ in  Barbadoes,  is  five  miles 
from  Kingston,  on  the  slope  which  gradually  ascends  from 
the  sea  to  the  mountains.  We  drove  through  the  town,  which 
did  not  improve  on  closer  acquaintance.  The  houses  which 
front  towards  the  streets  are  generally  insignificant.  The 
better  sort,  being  behind  walls  or  overhung  with  trees,  were 
imperfectly  visible.  The  roads  were  deep  in  white  dust, 
which  flies  everywhere  in  whirling  clouds  from  the  unceasing 
wind.  It  was  the  dry  season.  The  rains  are  not  constant  in 
Jamaica,  as  they  are  in  the  Antilles.  The  fields  and  the  sides 
of  the  mountains  were  bare  and  brown  and  parched.  The 
blacks,  however,  were  about  in  crowds  in  their  Sunday 
finery.  Being  in  a British  island,  we  had  got  back  into  the 
white  calicoes  and  ostrich  plumes,  and  I missed  the  grace  of 
the  women  at  Dominica ; but  men  and  women  seemed  as  if 
they  had  not  a care  in  the  world.  We  passed  Up  Park  Camp 
and  the  cantonments  of  the  West  India  regiments,  and  then 
through  a ‘ scrub  ’ of  dwarf  acacia  and  blue-flowered  lignum 
vitae.  Handsome  villas  were  spread  along  the  road  with  lawns 
and  gardens,  and  the  road  itself  was  as  excellent  as  those  in 
Barbadoes.  Half  an  hour’s  drive  brought  us  to  the  lodge, 
and  through  the  park  to  the  King’s  House  itself,  which 
14 


210  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

stands  among  groups  of  fine  trees  four  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea. 

All  the  large  houses  in  Jamaica — and  this  was  one  of  the 
largest  of  them — are  like  those  in  Barbadoes,  with  the  type 
more  completely  developed,  generally  square,  built  of  stone, 
standing  on  blocks,  hollow  underneath  for  circulation  of  air, 
and  approached  by  a broad  flight  of  steps.  On  the  three 
sides  which  the  sun  touches,  deep  verandahs  or  balconies  are 
thrown  out  on  the  first  and  second  floors,  closed  in  front  by 
green  blinds,  which  can  be  shut  either  completely  or  par- 
tially, so  that  at  a distance  they  look  like  houses  of  cards  or 
great  green  boxes,  made  pretty  by  the  trees  which  shelter 
them  or  the  creepers  which  climb  over  them.  Behind  the 
blinds  run  long  airy  darkened  galleries,  and  into  these  the 
sitting  rooms  open,  which  are  of  course  still  darker  with  a 
subdued  green  light,  in  which,  till  you  are  used  to  it,  you  can 
hardly  read.  The  floors  are  black,  smooth,  and  polished,  with 
loose  mats  for  carpets.  The  reader  of  ‘Tom  Cringle  ’ will  re- 
member Tom’s  misadventure  when  he  blundered  into  a party 
of  pretty  laughing  girls,  slipped  on  one  of  these  floors  with  a 
retrospective  misadventure,  and  could  not  rise  till  his  creole 
cousin  slipped  a petticoat  over  his  head.  All  the  arrange- 
ments are  made  to  shut  out  heat  and  light.  The  galleries 
have  sofas  to  lounge  upon — everybody  smokes,  and  smokes 
where  he  pleases ; the  draught  sweeping  away  all  residuary 
traces.  At  the  King's  House  to  increase  the  accommodation  a 
large  separate  dining  saloon  has  been  thrown  out  on  the  north 
side,  to  which  you  descend  from  the  drawing  room  by  stairs, 
and  thence  along  a covered  passage.  Among  the  mango 
trees  behind  there  is  a separate  suite  of  rooms  for  the  aides-de- 
camp,  and  a superb  swimming  bath  sixty  feet  long  and  eight 
feet  deep.  Altogether  it  was  a sumptuous  sort  of  palace 
where  a governor  with  7,000/.  a year  might  spend  his  term  of 
office  with  considerable  comfort  were  it  not  haunted  by  rec- 


King’s  House. 


211 


ollections  of  poor  Eyre.  He,  it  seems,  lived  in  the  ‘ King’s 
House,’  and  two  miles  off,  within  sight  of  his  windows,  lived 
Gordon. 

I had  a more  than  gracious  welcome  from  Colonel  J 

and  his  family.  In  him  I found  a high-bred  soldier,  who  had 
served  with  distinction  in  India,  who  had  been  at  the  storm 
of  Delhi,  and  who  was  close  by  when  Nicholson  was  shot. 
No  one  could  have  looked  fitter  for  the  post  which  he  now 
temporarily  occupied.  I felt  uncomfortable  at  being  thus 
. thrust  upon  his  hospitality.  I had  letters  of  introduction 
with  me  to  the  various  governors  of  the  islands,  but  on  Colo- 
nel J I had  no  claim  at  all.  I was  not  even  aware  of  his 

existence,  or  he,  very  likely,  of  mine.  If  not  he,  at  any  rate 
the  ladies  of  his  establishment,  might  reasonably  look  upon 
me  as  a bore,  and  if  I had  been  allowed  I should  simply  have 
paid  my  respects  and  have  gone  on  to  my  mulatto.  But  they 
would  not  hear  of  it.  They  were  so  evidently  hearty  in  their 
invitation  to  me  that  I could  only  submit  and  do  my  best  not 
to  be  a bore,  the  one  sin  for  which  there  is  no  forgiveness. 

In  the  circle  into  which  I was  thrown  I was  unlikely  to 
hear  much  of  West  Indian  politics  or  problems.  Colonel 

J was  acting  as  governor  by  accident,  and  for  a few 

months  only.  Ho  had  his  professional  duties  to  look  after  ; 
his  term  of  service  in  Jamaica  had  nearly  expii-ed ; and  he 
could  not  trouble  himself  with  possibilities  and  tendencies 
with  which  he  would  have  no  personal  concern.  As  a specta- 
tor he  considered  probably  that  we  were  not  making  much  of 
the  West  Indies,  and  were  not  on  the  way  to  make  much. 
Pie  confirmed  the  complaint  which  I had  heard  so  often,  that 
the  blacks  would  not  work  for  wages  more  than  three  days 
in  the  week,  or  regularly  upon  those,  preferring  to  cultivate 
their  own  yams  and  sweet  potatoes  ; but  as  it  was  admitted 
that  they  did  work  one  way  or  another  at  home,  I could  not 
see  that  there  was  much  to  complain  of.  The  blacks  were 


212 


The  Caribs. 


only  doing  as  we  do.  We,  too,  only  work  as  mucli  as  we  like 
or  as  we  must,  and  we  prefer  working  for  ourselves  to  work- 
ing for  others. 

On  Lis  special  subjects  the  Colonel  was  as  interesting  as  be 
could  not  help  being.  He  talked  of  the  army  and  of  the  re- 
cent changes  in  it  without  insisting  that  it  was  going  to  the 
devil.  He  talked  of  India  and  the  Russians,  and  for  a won- 
der he  had  no  Russophobia.  He  thought  that  England  and 
Russia  might  as  easily  be  friends  as  enemies,  and  that  it 
would  be  better  for  the  world  if  they  were.  As  this  had  been 
my  own  fixed  opinion  for  the  last  thirty  years,  I thought  him 
a very  sensible  man.  In  the  evening  there  was  a small  din- 
ner party,  made  up  chiefly  of  officers  from  the  West  Indian 
regiments  at  Kingston.  The  English  troops  are  in  the  moun- 
tains at  Newcastle,  four  or  five  thousand  feet  up  and  beyond 
common  visiting  distance.  Among  those  whom  I met  on  this 
occasion  was  an  officer  who  struck  me  particularly.  There 
was  a mystery  about  his  origin.  He  had  risen  from  the  ranks, 
but  was  evidently  a gentleman  by  birth  ; he  had  seen  service 
all  over  the  world ; he  had  been  in  Chili,  and,  among  his 
other  accomplishments,  spoke  Spanish  fluently ; he  entered 
the  English  army  as  a private,  had  been  in  the  war  in  the 
Transvaal,  and  was  the  only  survivor  of  the  regiment  which 
was  surprised  and  shot  down  by  the  Boers  in  an  intricate  pass 
where  they  could  neither  retreat  nor  defend  themselves.  On 
that  occasion  he  had  escaped  and  saved  the  colours,  for  which 
he  was  rewarded  by  a commission.  He  was  acquainted  with 
many  of  my  friends  there  who  had  been  in  the  thick  of  the 
campaign  ; knew  Sir  Owen  Lanyon,  Sir  Morrison  Barlow,  and 
Colley.  He  had  surveyed  the  plateau  on  Majuba  Hill  after 
the  action.  I had  heard  one  side  of  the  story  from  a Boer 

officer  ; from  Mr. I heard  the  other  ; and  they  were  not 

very  unlike.  Both  agreed  that  the  ball  which  killed  Colley 
did  not  come  from  a Dutch  rifle.  My  Boer  informant  said 


Recollections  of  the  Boer  War.  213 

that  he  was  last  seen  trying  to  rally  a party  of  his  own  men 
who  were  running.  They  wheeled  round  and  fired  wildly. 
Colley  was  six  or  eight  yards  behind  them.  One  of  the 
balls  struck  him  and  he  fell  dead.  Mr.  said  that,  see- 

ing the  day  irreparably  lost,  and  his  own  reputation  shat- 
tered along  with  it,  he  was  generally  believed  to  have  shot 
himself.  Friend  and  foe  alike  loved  Colley,  and  legends  like 
these  are  an  unconscious  tribute  to  his  memory.  The  truth 
can  never  be  known.  We  believe  as  we  wish  or  as  we  fancy. 

Mr. was  so  fine  an  officer,  so  clever  a man,  and  so  reserved 

about  his  personal  affairs,  that  about  him  too  ‘ myths  ’ were 
growing.  He  was  credited  in  the  mess  room  with  being  the 
then  unknown  author  of  ‘ Solomon’s  Mines.’  Mr.  Haggard 

will  forgive  a mistake  which,  if  he  knows  Mr. , he  will 

feel  to  be  a compliment. 

From  general  conversation  I gathered  that  the  sanguine 
views  of  the  Colonial  Secretary  were  not  widely  shared.  The 
English  interest  was  still  something  in  Jamaica ; but  the  phe- 
nomena of  the  Antilles  were  present  there  also,  if  in  a less  ex- 
treme form.  There  were  700,000  coloured  people  in  the  isl- 
and, but  14,000  or  15,000  whites ; and  the  blacks  there  also 
were  increasing  rapidly,  and  the  whites  were  stationary  if  not 
declining.  There  was  the  same  uneasy  social  jealousy,  and 
the  absence  of  any  social  relation  between  the  two  races. 
There  were  mulattoes  in  the  island  of  wealth  and  consequence, 
and  at  Government  House  there  are  no  distinctions ; but 
the  English  residents  of  pure  colonial  blood  would  not  asso- 
ciate with  them,  social  exclusiveness  increasing  with  political 
equality.  The  blacks  disliked  the  mulattoes  ; the  mulattoes 
despised  the  blacks,  and  would  not  intermarry  with  them. 
The  impression  was  that  the  mulatto  would  die  out,  that  the 
tendency  of  the  whites  and  blacks  was  to  a constantly  sharpen- 
ing separation,  and  that  if  things  went  on  as  they  were  going 
for  another  generation,  it  was  easy  to  see  which  of  the  two 


214  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

colours  would  then  be  in  the  ascendant.  The  blacks  were 
growing  saucy,  too  ; with  much  else  of  the  same  kind.  I 
could  but  listen  and  wait  to  judge  for  myself. 

Meanwhile  my  quarters  were  unexceptionable,  my  kind  en- 
tertainers leaving  nothing  undone  to  make  my  stay  with  them 
agreeable.  In  hot  climates  one  sleeps  lightly  ; but  light  sleep 
is  all  that  one  wants,  and  one  wakes  early.  The  swimming 
bath  was  waiting  for  me  underneath  my  window.  After  a 
plunge  in  the  clear  cold  water  came  coffee,  grown  and  dried 
and  roasted  on  the  spot,  and  ‘ made  ’ as  such  coffee  ought 
to  be.  Then  came  the  early  walk.  One  missed  the  tropical 
luxuriance  of  Trinidad  and  Dominica,  for  the  winter  months 
in  Jamaica  are  almost  rainless;  but  it  would  have  been 
beautiful  anywhere  else,  and  the  mango  trees  were  in  their 
glory.  There  was  a corner  given  to  orchids,  which  were  hung 
in  baskets  and  just  coming  into  flower.  Lizards  swarmed  in 
the  sunshine,  running  up  the  tree  trunks,  or  basking  on  the 
garden  seats.  Snakes  there  ai'e  none  ; the  mongoose  has 
cleared  them  all  away  so  completely  that  there  is  nothing  left 
for  him  to  eat  but  the  poultry,  in  which  he  makes  havoc,  and, 
having  been  introduced  to  exterminate  the  vermin,  has  be- 
come a vermin  himself. 

To  drive,  to  ride,  to  visit  was  the  employment  of  the  days. 
I saw  the  country.  I saw  what  people  were  doing,  and  heard 
what  they  had  to  say. 

The  details  are  mostly  only  worth  forgetting.  The  senior 

aide-de-camp,  Captain  C , an  officer  in  the  Engineers,  was 

a man  of  ability  and  observation.  He,  too,  like  the  Colonel, 
was  more  interested  in  his  profession,  to  which  he  was  anx- 
ious to  return,  than  in  the  waning  fortunes  of  the  West  In- 
dies. He  superintended,  however,  the  social  part  of  the  gov- 
ernor’s business  to  perfection.  Anything  which  I wished  for 
had  only  to  be  mentioned  to  be  provided.  He  gave  me  the 
benefit  too,  though  less  often  than  I could  have  wished,  of  his 


The  Mountain  Station. 


215 


shrewd,  and  not  ungenial,  observations.  He  drove  me  one 
morning  into  Kingston.  I had  passed  through  it  hastily  on 
the  day  of  my  landing.  There  were  libraries,  museums,  pub- 
lic offices,  and  such  like  to  be  seen,  besides  the  town  itself. 
High  up  on  the  mountain  side,  more  often  in  the  clouds  than 
out  of  them,  the  cantonments  of  the  English  regiments  were 
visible  from  the  park  at  Government  House.  The  slope 
where  they  had  been  placed  was  so  steep  that  one  wondered 
how  they  held  on.  They  looked  like  tablecloths  stretched 
out  to  dry.  I was  to  ride  up  there  one  day.  Meanwhile,  as 
we  were  driving  through  the  park  and  saw  the  white  spots 
shining  up  above  us,  I asked  the  aide-de-camp  what  the  pri- 
vates found  to  do  in  such  a place.  The  ground  was  too  steep 
for  athletics;  no  cricket  could  be  possible  there,  no  lawn 
tennis,  no  quoits,  no  anything.  There  were  no  neighbours. 
Sports  there  were  none.  The  mongoose  had  destroyed  the 
winged  game,  and  there  was  neither  hare  nor  rabbit,  pig  nor 
deer  ; not  a wild  animal  to  be  hunted  and  killed.  With 
nothing  to  do,  no  one  to  speak  to,  and  nothing  to  kill,  what 
could  become  of  them  ? Did  they  drink  ? Well,  yes.  They 
drank  rum  occasionally ; but  there  were  no  public-houses. 
They  could  only  get  it  at  the  canteen,  and  the  daily  allowance 
was  moderate.  As  to  beer,  it  was  out  of  reach  altogether. 
At  the  foot  of  the  mountains  it  was  double  the  price  which 
it  was  in  England.  At  Newcastle  the  price  was  doubled 
again  by  the  cost  of  carriage  to  the  camp.  I inquired  if  they 
did  not  occasionally  hang  themselves.  ‘ Perhaps  they  would,’ 
he  said,  ‘ if  they  had  no  choice,  but  they  preferred  to  desert, 
and  this  they  did  in  large  numbers.  They  slipped  down  the 
back  of  the  range,  made  their  way  to  the  sea,  and  escaped 
to  the  "United  States.’  The  officers — what  became  of  them  ? 
The  officers  ! Oh,  well ! they  gardened ! Did  they  like  it  ? 
Some  did  and  some  didn’t.  They  were  not  so  ill  off  as  the 
men,  as  occasionally  they  could  come  down  on  leave. 


216  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

One  wondered  wkat  the  process  had  been  which  had  led 
the  authorities  to  select  such  a situation.  Of  course  it  was  for 
the  health  of  the  troops,  but  the  hill  country  in  Jamaica  is 
wide  ; there  were  many  other  places  available,  less  utterly 
detestable,  and  ennui  and  discontent  are  as  mischievous  as 

fever.  General , a short  time  ago,  went  up  to  hold  an 

inquiry  into  the  desertions,  and  expressed  his  wonder  how 
such  things  could  be.  With  such  air,  such  scenery,  such 
views  far  and  wide  over  the  island,  what  could  human  creat- 
ures wish  for  more  ? ‘ You  would  desert  yourself,  general,’ 

said  another  officer,  ‘ if  you  were  obliged  to  stay  there  a 
month.  ’ 

Captain  C undertook  that  I should  go  up  myself  in  a 

day  or  two.  He  promised  to  write  and  make  arrangements. 
Meanwhile  we  went  on  to  Kingston.  It  was  not  beautiful. 
There  was  Kodney’s  statue.  Rodney  is  venerated  in  Jamaica, 
as  he  ought  to  be  ; but  for  him  it  would  have  been  a Spanish 
colony  again.  But  there  is  nothing  grand  about  the  build- 
ings, nothing  even  handsome,  nothing  even  specially  char- 
acteristic of  England  or  the  English  mind.  They  were  once 
perhaps  business-like,  and  business  having  slackened  they 
are  now  dingy.  Shops,  houses,  wharves,  want  brightness 
and  colour.  We  called  at  the  office  of  the  Colonial  Secretary, 
the  central  point  of  the  administration.  It  was  an  old  man- 
sion, plain,  unambitious,  sufficient  perhaps  for  its  purpose, 
but  lifeless  and  dark.  If  it  represented  economy  there  would 
be  no  objection.  The  public  debt  has  doubled  since  it  be- 
came a Crown  colony.  In  1876  it  was  half  a million.  It  is 
now  more  than  a million  and  a half.  The  explanation  is  the 
extension  of  the  railway  system,  and  there  has  been  no  culpa- 
ble extravagance.  I do  not  suppose  that  the  re-establishment 
of  a constitution  would  mend  matters.  Democracies  are  al- 
ways extravagant.  The  majority,  who  have  little  property 
or  none,  regulate  the  expenditure.  They  lay  the  taxes  on 


Public  Expenditure. 


217 


the  minority,  who  have  to  find  the  money,  and  have  no  in- 
terest in  sparing  them. 

Ireland  when  it  was  governed  by  the  landowners,  Jamaica 
in  the  days  of  slavery,  were  administered  at  a cost  which 
seems  now  incredibly  small.  The  authority  of  the  landowners 
and  of  the  planters  was  undisputed.  They  were  feared  and 
obeyed,  and  magistrates  unpaid  and  local  constables  sufficed 
to  maintain  tolerable  order.  Their  authority  is  gone.  Their 
functions  are  transferred  to  the  police,  and  every  service  has 
to  be  paid  for.  There  may  be  fewer  serious  crimes,  but  the 
subordination  is  immeasurably  less,  the  expense  of  adminis- 
tration is  immeasurably  greater.  I declined  to  be  taken  over 
sugar  mills,  or  to  be  shown  the  latest  improvements.  I was 
too  ignorant  to  understand  in  what  the  improvements  con- 
sisted, and  could  take  them  upon  trust.  The  public  bakery 
was  more  interesting.  In  tropical  climates  a hot  oven  in  a 
small  house  makes  an  inconvenient  addition  to  the  temper- 
ature. The  bread  for  Kingston,  and  for  many  miles  around  it, 
is  manufactured  at  night  by  a single  company  and  is  distribut- 
ed in  carts  in  the  morning.  We  saw  the  museum  and  public 
library.  There  were  the  usual  specimens  of  island  antiquities 
— of  local  fish,  birds,  insects,  reptiles,  plants,  geological  for- 
mations, and  such  like.  In  the  library  were  old  editions  of 
curious  books  at  the  West  Indies,  some  of  them  unique,  ready 
to  yield  ampler  pictures  of  the  romance  of  the  old  life  there 
than  we  at  present  possess.  I had  but  leisure  to  glance  at 
title-pages  and  engravings.  The  most  noticeable  relic  pre- 
served there,  if  it  be  only  genuine,  is  the  identical  bauble  which 
Cromwell  ordered  to  be  taken  away  from  the  Speaker’s  table 
in  the  House  of  Commons.  Explanations  are  given  of  the 
manner  in  which  it  came  to  Jamaica.  The  evidence,  so  far 
as  I could  understand  it,  did  not  appear  conclusive. 

Among  the  new  industries  in  the  island  in  the  place  of  sugar 
was,  or  ought  to  be,  tobacco.  A few  years  ago  I asked  Sir 


218 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


W.  Hooker,  the  chief  living  authority  in  such  matters,  why 
Cuba  was  allowed  the  monopoly  of  delicate  cigar  tobacco — 
whether  there  were  no  other  countries  where  it  could  be 
grown  equally  good.  He  said  that  at  the  very  moment  cigars, 
as  fine  as  the  finest  Havanas,  were  being  produced  in  Jamaica. 
He  gave  me  an  excellent  specimen  with  the  address  of  the 
house  which  supplied  it ; and  for  a year  or  two  I was  able  to 
buy  from  it  what,  if  not  pei'fect,  was  more  than  tolerable. 
The  house  acquired  a reputation  ; and  then,  for  some  reason 
or  other,  perhaps  from  weariness  of  the  same  flavour,  perhaps 
from  a falling  off  in  the  character  of  the  cigars,  I,  and  possibly 
others,  began  to  be  less  satisfied.  Here  on  the  spot  I wished 

to  make  another  experiment.  Captain  C introduced  me 

to  a famous  manufacturer,  a Spaniard,  with  a Spanish  mana- 
ger under  him  who  had  been  trained  at  Havana.  I bespoke 
his  good  will  by  adjuring  him  in  his  own  tongue  not  to  dis- 
appoint me  ; and  I believe  that  he  gave  me  the  best  that  he 
had.  But,  alas  ! it  is  with  tobccco  as  with  most  other  things. 
Democracy  is  king  ; and  the  greatest  happiness  of  the  great- 
est number  is  the  rule  of  modern  life.  The  average  of  every- 
thing is  higher  than  it  used  to  be ; the  high  quality  which 
rises  above  mediocrity  is  rare  or  is  non-existent.  We  are 
swept  away  by  the  genius  of  the  age,  and  must  be  content 
with  such  other  blessings  as  it  has  been  pleased  to  bring  with 
it. 

Why  should  I murmur  thus  and  vainly  moan  ? 

The  gods  will  have  it  so — their  will  be  done.1 

The  earth  is  patient  also,  and  allows  the  successive  genera- 
tions of  human  creatures  to  play  their  parts  upon  her  surface 
as  they  please.  She  spins  on  upon  her  own  course  ; and  seas 
and  skies,  and  crags  and  forests,  are  spiritual  and  beautiful 


as  ever. 


Euripides. 


Valley  in  the  Blue  Mountains.  219 

Gordon’s  Town  is  a straggling  village  in  the  Blue  Range 

underneath  Newcastle.  Colonel  J had  a villa  there,  and 

one  afternoon  he  took  me  over  to  see  it.  You  pass  abruptly 
from  the  open  country  into  the  mountains.  The  way  to 
Gordon’s  Town  was  by  the  side  of  the  Hope  river,  which  cuts 
its  way  out  of  them  in  a narrow  deep  ravine.  The  stream 
was  now  trickling  faintly  among  the  stones  ; the  enormous 
boulders  in  the  bed  were  round  as  cannon  balls,  and  weigh- 
ing hundreds  of  tons,  show  what  its  power  must  be  in  the 
coming  down  of  the  floods.  Within  the  limits  of  the  torrent, 
wThich  must  rise  at  such  times  thirty  feet  above  its  winter 
level,  the  rocks  were  bare  and  stern,  no  green  thing  being 
able  to  grow  there.  Above  the  line  the  tropical  vegetation 
was  in  all  its  glory  : ferns  and  plantains  waving  in  the  moist 
air  ; cedars,  tamarinds,  gum  trees,  orange  trees  striking  their 
roots  among  the  clefts  of  the  crags,  and  hanging  out  over  the 
abysses  below  them.  Aloes  flung  up  their  tall  spiral  stems  ; 
flowering  shrubs  and  creepers  covered  bank  and  slope  with 
green  and  blue  and  white  and  yellow,  and  above  and  over 
our  heads,  as  we  drove  along,  stood  out  the  great  limestone 
blocks  which  thunder  down  when  loosened  by  the  rain. 
Farther  up  the  hill  sides,  where  the  slopes  are  less  precipi- 
tous, the  forest  has  been  burnt  off  by  the  unthrifty  blacks,  who 
use  fire  to  clear  the  ground  for  their  yam  gardens,  and  destroy 
the  timber  over  a dozen  acres  when  they  intend  to  cultivate 
but  a single  one.  The  landscape  suffers  less  than  the  soil. 
The  effect  to  the  eye  is  merely  that  the  mountains  in  Jamaica, 
as  in  temperate  climates,  become  bare  at  a moderate  altitude, 
and  their  outlines  stand  out  sharper  against  the  sky. 

Introduced  among  scenery  of  this  kind,  we  followed  the 
river  two  or  three  miles,  when  it  was  crossed  by  a bridge, 
above  which  stood  my  friend  Miss  Burton’s  lodging  house, 
where  she  had  designed  entertaining  me.  At  Gordon’s  Town, 
which  is  again  a mile  farther  on,  the  valley  widens  out,  and 


220 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


there  are  cocoa  and  coffee  plantations.  Through  an  opening 
we  saw  far  above  our  heads,  like  specks  of  snow  against  the 
mountain  side,  the  homes  or  prisons  of  our  unfortunate 
troops.  Overlooking  the  village  through  which  we  were 
passing,  and  three  hundred  feet  above  it,  was  perched  the 
Colonel’s  villa  on  a projecting  spur  where  a tributary  of  the 
Hope  river  has  carved  out  a second  ravine.  We  drove  to 
the  door  up  a steep  winding  lane  among  coffee  bushes, 
which  scented  the  air  with  their  jessamine-like  blossom, 
and  wild  oranges  on  which  the  fruit  hung  untouched,  glow- 
ing like  balls  of  gold.  We  were  now  eleven  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea.  The  air  was  already  many  degrees  cooler  than 
at  Kingston.  The  ground  in  front  of  the  house  was  levelled 
for  a garden.  Ivy  was  growing  about  the  trellis  work,  and 
scarlet  geraniums  and  sweet  violets  and  roses,  which  cannot 
be  cultivated  in  the  lower  regions,  were  here  in  full  bloom. 
Elsewhere  in  the  grounds  there  was  a lawn  tennis  court  to 
tempt  the  officers  down  from  their  eyrie  in  the  clouds.  The 
house  was  empty,  in  charge  of  servants.  From  the  balcony 
in  front  of  the  drawing  room  we  saw  peak  rising  behind  peak, 
till  the  highest,  four  thousand  feet  above  us,  was  lost  in  the 
white  mist.  Below  was  the  valley  of  the  Hope  river  'with  its 
gardens  and  trees  and  scattered  huts,  with  buildings  here  and 
there  of  higher  pretensions.  On  the  other  side  the  tributary 
stream  rushed  down  its  own  ravine,  while  the  breeze  among 
the  trees  and  the  sound  of  the  falling  waters  swayed  up  to  us 
in  intermittent  pulsations. 

The  place  had  been  made,  I believe,  in  the  days  of  planta- 
tion prosperity.  What  would  become  of  it  all,  if  Jamaica 
drifted  after  her  sisters  in  the  Antilles,  as  some  persons 
thought  that  she  was  drifting,  and  became,  like  Grenada,  an 
island  of  small  black  proprietors?  Was  such  a fate  really 
hanging  over  her  ? Not  necessarily,  not  by  any  law  of  nature. 
If  it  came,  it  would  come  from  the  dispiritment,  the  lack  of 


Valley  in  the  Blue  Mountains . 221 

energy  and  hope  in  the  languid  representatives  of  the  English 
colonists  ; for  the  land  even  in  the  mountains  will  grow  what 
it  is  asked  to  grow,  and  men  do  not  live  by  sugar  alone  ; and 
my  friend  Dr.  Nicholl  in  Dominica  had  shown  what  English 
energy  could  do  if  it  was  alive  and  vigorous.  The  pale  com- 
plaining beings  of  whom  I saw  too  many,  seemed  as  if  they 
could  not  be  of  the  same  race  as  the  men  who  ruled  in 
the  days  of  the  slave  trade.  The  question  to  be  asked  in 
every  colony  is,  what  sort  of  men  is  it  rearing  ? If  that  can- 
not be  answered  satisfactorily,  the  rest  is  not  worth  caring 
for.  The  blacks  do  not  deserve  the  ill  that  is  spoken  of  them. 
The  Colonel’s  house  is  twelve  miles  from  Kingston.  He  told 
me  that  a woman  would  walk  in  with  a load  for  him,  and  re- 
turn on  the  same  day  with  another,  for  a shilling.  With 
such  material  of  labour  wisely  directed,  whites  and  blacks 
might  live  and  prosper  together  ; but  even  the  poor  negro 
will  not  work  when  he  is  regarded  only  as  a machine  to  bring 
grist  to  his  master’s  mill. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Visit  to  Port  Royal — Dockyard — Town — Church — Fort  Augusta — The 
eyrie  in  the  mountains — Ride  to  Newcastle — Society  in  Jamaica — 
Religious  bodies — Liberty  and  authority. 

A new  foet  was  being  built  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbour. 
New  batteries  were  being  armed  on  the  sandbanks  at  Port 

Royal.  Colonel  J had  to  inspect  what  was  going  on,  and 

he  allowed  me  to  go  with  him.  We  were  to  lunch  with  the 
commodore  of  the  station  at  the  Port  Royal  dockyard.  I 
could  then  see  the  town — or  what  was  left  of  it,  for  the  story 
went  that  half  of  it  had  been  swallowed  up  by  an  earthquake. 
We  ran  out  from  Kingston,  passing  under  the  sterns  of  the 
Spanish  frigates.  I was  told  that  there  were  always  one  or 
more  Spanish  ships  of  war  stationed  there,  but  no  one  knew 
anything  about  them  except  generally  that  they  were  on  the 
look-out  for  Cuban  conspirators.  There  was  no  exchange 
of  courtesies  between  their  officers  and  ours,  nor  even  offi- 
cial communication  beyond  what  was  formally  necessary.  I 
thought  it  strange,  but  it  was  no  business  of  mine.  My  sur- 
prise, however,  was  admitted  to  be  natural.  As  the  launch 
drew  little  water,  we  had  no  occasion  to  follow  the  circuitous 
chancel,  but  went  straight  over  the  shoals.  We  passed  close 
by  Gallows  Point,  where  the  Johnny  crows  used  to  pick  the 
pirates’  bones.  In  the  mangrove  swamp  adjoining,  it  -was 
said  that  there  was  an  old  Spanish  cemetery  ; but  the  swamp 
was  poisonous,  and  no  one  had  ever  seen  it.  At  the  dock- 
yard pier  the  commodore  was  waiting  for  us.  I found  that 
he  was  an  old  acquaintance  whom  I had  met  ten  years  before 


Port  Royal. 


223 


at  the  Cape.  He  was  a brisk,  smart  officer,  quiet  and  sailor- 
like in  his  manners,  but  with  plenty  of  talent  and  cultivation. 
He  showed  us  his  stores  and  his  machinery,  large  engines, 
and  engineers  to  work  them,  ready  for  any  work  which  might 
be  wanted,  but  apparently  with  none  to  do.  We  went  over 
the  hospital,  airy  and  clean,  with  scarcely  a single  occupant, 
so  healthy  has  now  been  made  a spot  which  was  once  a nest 
of  yellow  fever.  Naval  stores  soon  become  antiquated  ; and 
parts  of  the  great  square  were  paved  with  the  old  cannon 
balls  which  had  become  useless  on  the  introduction  of  rifled 
guns.  The  fortifications  were  antiquated  also,  but  new  works 
were  being  thrown  up  armed  with  the  modern  monster  can- 
non. One  difficulty  struck  me  ; Port  Royal  stood  upon  a 
sand-bank.  In  such  a place  no  spring  of  fresh  water  could  be 
looked  for.  On  the  large  acreage  of  roofs  there  were  no 
shoots  to  catch  the  rain  and  cany  it  into  cisterns.  Whence 
did  the  water  come  for  the  people  in  the  town  ? How  were 
the  fleets  supplied  which  used  to  ride  there  ? How  was  it  iu 
the  old  times  when  Port  Royal  was  crowded  with  revelling 
crews  of  buccaneers  ? I found  that  every  drop  which  is  con- 
sumed in  the  place,  or  which  is  taken  on  board  either  of  mer- 
chant ship  or  man-of-war,  is  brought  in  a steam  tug  from  a 
spring  eight  miles  off  upon  the  coast.  Before  steam  came  in, 
it  was  fetched  in  barges  rowed  by  hand.  Nothing  could  be 
easier  than  to  save  the  rain  which  falls  in  abundance.  Noth- 
ing could  be  easier  than  to  lay  pipes  along  the  sand-spit  to 
the  spring.  But  the  tug  plies  daily  to  and  fro,  and  no  one 
thinks  more  about  the  matter. 

A West  Indian  regiment  is  stationed  at  Port  Royal. 
After  the  dockyard  we  went  through  the  soldiers’  quarters 
and  then  walked  through  the.  streets  of  the  once  famous 
station.  It  is  now  a mere  hamlet  of  boatmen  and  fishermen, 
squalid  and  wretched,  without  and  within.  Half-naked 
children  stared  at  us  from  the  doors  with  their  dark,  round 


224 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


eyes.  I found  it  hard  to  call  up  the  scenes  of  riot,  and  con- 
fusion, and  wild  excitement  which  are  alleged  to  have  been 
witnessed  there.  The  story  that  it  once  covered  a far  larger 
area  has  been,  perhaps,  invented  to  account  for  the  incon- 
gruity. Old  plans  exist  which  seem  to  show  that  the  end  of 
the  spit  could  never  have  been  of  any  larger  dimensions  than 
it  is  at  present.  There  is  proof  enough,  however,  that  in  the 
sand  there  lie  the  remains  of  many  thousand  English  sol- 
diers and  seamen,  who  ended  their  lives  there  for  one  cause 
or  other.  The  bones  lie  so  close  that  they  are  turned  up  as 
in  a counti'y  churchyard  when  a fresh  grave  is  dug.  The 
walls  of  the  old  church  are  inlaid  thickly  with  monuments 
and  monumental  tablets  to  the  memory  of  officers  of  either 
service,  young  and  old ; some  killed  by  fever,  some  by  acci- 
dents of  war  or  sea  ; some  decorated  with  the  honours  which 
they  had  won  in  a hundred  fights,  some  carried  off  before 
they  had  gathered  the  first  flower  of  fame.  The  costliness  of 
many  of  these  memorials  was  an  affecting  indication  how 
precious  to  their  families  those  now  resting  there  once  had 
been.  One  in  high  relief  struck  me  as  a characteristic  speci- 
men of  Rubillac’s  workmanship.  It  was  to  a young  lieuten- 
ant who  had  been  killed  by  the  bursting  of  a gun.  Flame 
and  vapour  were  rushing  out  of  the  breech.  The  youth  him- 
self was  falling  backwards,  with  his  arms  spread  out,  and  a 
vast  preternatural  face — death,  judgment,  eternity,  or  what- 
ever it  was  meant  to  be — was  glaring  at  him  through  the 
smoke.  Bad  art,  though  the  execution  was  remarkable  ; but 
better,  perhaps,  than  the  weeping  angels  now  grown  common 
among  ourselves. 

After  luncheon  the  commodore  showed  us  his  curiosities, 
especially  his  garden,  which,  considering  the  state  of  his 
water  supply,  he  had  created  under  unfavourable  conditions. 
He  had  a very  respectable  collection  of  tropical  ferns  and 
flowers,  with  palms  and  plantains  to  shade  and  shelter  them. 


Fort  Augusta. 


225 


He  was  an  artist  besides,  within  the  lines  of  his  own  profes- 
sion. Drawings  of  ships  and  boats  of  all  sorts  and  in  all  at- 
titudes by  his  own  brush  or  pencil  were  hanging  on  the  walls 
of  his  working  room.  He  was  good  enough  to  ask  me  to 
spend  a day  or  two  with  him  at  Port  Royal  before  I left  the 
island,  and  I looked  forward  with  special  pleasure  to  becom- 
ing closer  acquainted  with  such  a genuine  piece  of  fine- 
grained British  oak. 

There  were  the  usual  ceremonies  to  be  attended  to.  The 
officers  of  the  guardship  and  gunboats  had  to  be  called  on. 
The  forts  constructed,  or  in  the  course  of  construction,  were 
duly  inspected.  I believe  that  there  is  a real  serious  inten- 
tion to  strengthen  Port  Royal  in  view  of  the  changes  which 
may  come  about  through  the  opening,  if  that  event  ever 
takes  place,  of  the  Darien  canal. 

Our  last  visit  was  to  a fort  deserted,  or  all  but  deserted — 
the  once  too  celebrated  Fort  Augusta,  which  deserves  partic- 
ular description.  It  stands  on  the  inner  side  of  the  lagoon 
commanding  the  deep-water  channel  at  the  point  of  the  great 
mangrove  swamp  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cobre  river.  For  the 
purpose  for  which  it  was  intended  no  better  situation  could 
have  been  chosen,  had  there  been  nothing  else  to  be  consid- 
ered except  the  defence  of  the  harbour,  for  a vessel  trying  to 
reach  Kingston  had  to  pass  close  in  front  of  its  hundred 
guns.  It  was  constructed  on  a scale  becoming  its  impor- 
tance, with  accommodation  for  two  or  three  regiments,  and 
the  regiments  were  sent  thither,  and  they  perished,  regiment 
after  regiment,  officers  and  men,  from  the  malarious  exhala- 
tions of  the  morass.  Whole  battalions  were  swept  away. 
The  ranks  were  filled  up  by  reinforcements  from  home,  and 
these,  too,  went  the  same  road.  Of  one  regiment  the  only 
survivors,  according  to  the  traditions  of  the  place,  were  a 
quartermaster  and  a corporal.  Finally  it  occurred  to  the 
authorities  at  the  Horse  Guards  that  a regiment  of  Hussars 
15 


226 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


would  be  a useful  addition  to  the  garrison.  It  was  not  easy 
to  see  what  Hussars  were  to  do  there.  There  is  not  a spot 
where  the  horses  could  stand  twenty  yards  beyond  the  lines  ; 
nor  could  they  reach  Fort  Augusta  at  all  except  in  barges. 
However,  it  was  perhaps  well  that  they  were  sent.  Horses 
and  men  went  the  way  of  the  rest.  The  loss  of  the  men 
might  have  been  supplied,  but  horses  were  costly,  and  the 
loss  of  them  was  more  serious.  Fort  Augusta  was  gradually 
abandoned,  and  is  now  used  only  as  a powder  magazine.  A 
guard  is  kept  there  of  twenty  blacks  from  the  West  Indian 
force,  but  even  these  are  changed  every  ten  days — so  deadly 
the  vapour  of  that  malarious  jungle  is  now  understood  to  be. 

I never  saw  so  spectral  a scene  as  met  my  eyes  when  we 
steamed  up  to  the  landing  place — ramparts  broken  down, 
and  dismantled  cannon  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  wall  over- 
grown by  jungle.  The  sentinel  who  presented  arms  was 
like  a corpse  in  uniform.  He  was  not  pale,  for  he  was  a 
negro — he  was  green,  and  he  looked  like  some  ghoul  or  afrite 
in  a ghastly  cemetery.  The  roofs  of  the  barracks  and  store- 
houses had  fallen  in,  the  rafters  being  left  standing  with  the 
light  shining  between  them  as  through  the  bones  of  skele- 
tons. Great  piles  of  shot  lay  rusting,  as  not  worth  removal ; 
among  them  conical  shot,  so  recently  had  this  fatal  charnel 
house  been  regarded  as  a fit  location  for  British  artillery- 
men. 

I breathed  more  freely  as  we  turned  our  backs  upon 
the  hideous  memorial  of  parliamentary  administration,  and 
steamed  away  into  a purer  air.  My  conservative  instincts 
had  undergone  a shock.  As  we  look  back  into  the  past,  the 
brighter  features  stand  out  conspicuously.  The  mistakes 
and  miseries  have  sunk  in  the  shade  and  are  forgotten.  In 
the  pi’esent  faults  and  merits  are  visible  alike.  The  faults 
attract  chief  notice  that  they  may  be  mended  ; and  as  there 
seem  so  many  of  them,  the  impulse  is  to  conclude  that  the 


Newcastle. 


227 


past  was  better.  It  is  well  to  be  sometimes  reminded  what 
the  past  really  was.  In  Colonel  J I found  a strong  ad- 

vocate of  the  late  army  reforms.  Thanks  to  recovering 
energy  and  more  distinct  conscientiousness,  thanks  to  the 
all-seeing  eye  of  the  Press,  such  an  experiment  as  that  of 
Fort  Augusta  could  hardly  be  tried  again,  or  if  tried  could 
not  be  persisted  in.  Extravagance  and  absurdities,  however, 
remain,  and  I was  next  to  witness  an  instance  of  them. 

Having  ceased  to  quarter  our  regiments  in  mangrove 
swamps,  we  now  build  a camp  for  them  among  the  clouds. 

I mentioned  that  Captain  C had  undertaken  that  I should 

see  Newcastle.  lie  had  written  to  a friend  there  to  say  that 
I was  coming  up,  and  the  junior  aide-de-camp  kindly  lent  his 
services  as  a guide.  As  far  as  Gordon’s  Town  we  drove  along 
the  same  road  which  we  had  followed  before.  There,  at  a 
small  wayside  inn,  we  found  horses  waiting  which  were  ac- 
customed to  the  mountain.  Suspicious  mists  were  hanging 
about  aloft,  but  the  landlord,  after  a glance  at  them,  prom- 
ised us  a fine  day,  and  we  mounted  and  set  off.  My  animal’s 
merits  were  not  in  his  appearance,  but  he  had  been  up  and 
down  a hundred  times,  and  might  be  trusted  to  accomplish 
his  hundred  and  first  without  misfortune.  For  the  first  mile 
or  so  the  road  was  tolerably  level,  following  the  bank  of  the 
river  under  the  shade  of  the  forest.  It  then  narrowed  into  a 
horse  path  and  zigzagged  upwards  at  the  side  of  a torrent 
into  the  deep  pools  of  which  we  occasionally  looked  down 
over  the  edges  of  uncomfortable  precipices.  Then  again 
there  was  a level,  with  a village  and  coffee  plantations  and 
oranges  and  bananas.  After  this  the  vegetation  changed. 
We  issued  out  upon  open  mountain,  with  English  grass, 
English  clover,  English  gorse,  and  other  familiar  acquaint- 
ances introduced  to  make  the  isolation  less  intolerable.  The 
track  was  so  rough  and  narrow  that  we  could  ride  only  in 
single  file,  and  was  often  no  better  than  a watercourse  ; yet 


228  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

by  this  and  no  other  way  every  article  had  to  he  carried  on 
donkeys’  backs  or  human  heads  which  was  required  for  the 
consumption  of  300  infantry  and  100  artillerymen.  Artillery- 
men might  seem  to  imply  artillery,  but  they  have  only  a single 
small  field  gun.  They  are  there  for  health’s  sake  only,  and 
to  be  fit  for  work  if  wanted  below.  An  hour’s  ride  brought 
us  to  the  lowest  range  of  houses,  which  were  4,000  feet  above 
the  sea.  From  thence  they  rose,  tier  above  tier,  for  500  feet 
more.  The  weather  so  far  had  held  up,  and  the  views  had 
been  glorious,  but  we  passed  now  into  cloud,  through  which 
we  saw,  dimly,  groups  of  figures  listlessly  lounging.  The 
hillside  was  bare,  and  the  slope  so  steep  that  there  was  no 
standing  on  it,  save  where  it  had  been  flattened  by  the  spade  ; 
and  here  in  this  extraordinary  place  were  400  young  Eng- 
lishmen of  the  common  type  of  which  soldiers  are  made, 
with  nothing  to  do  and  nothing  to  enjoy — remaining,  unless 
they  desert  or  die  of  ennui,  for  one,  two,  or  three  years,  as 
their  chance  may  be.  Every  other  day  they  can  see  nothing, 
save  each  other’s  forms  and  faces  in  the  fog  ; for,  fine  and 
bright  as  the  air  may  be  below,  the  moisture  in  the  air  is 
condensed  into  cloud  by  the  chill  rock  and  soil  of  the  high 
ranges.  The  officers  come  down  now  and  then  on  furlough 
or  on  duty  ; the  men  rarely  and  hardly  at  all,  and  soldiers, 

in  spite  of  General , cannot  always  be  made  happy  by 

the  picturesque.  They  are  not  educated  enough  to  find  em- 
ployment for  their  minds,  and  of  amusement  there  is  none. 

We  continued  our  way  up,  the  track  if  anything  growing 
steeper,  till  we  reached  the  highest  point  of  the  camp,  and 
found  ourselves  before  a pretty  cottage  with  creepers  climb- 
ing about  it  belonging  to  the  major  in  command.  A few 
yards  off  was  the  officers’  mess  room.  They  expected  us. 
They  knew  my  companion,  and  visitors  from  the  under-world 
were  naturally  welcome.  The  major  was  an  active  clever 
man,  with  a bright  laughing  Irish  wife,  whose  relations  in 


Newcastle. 


229 


the  old  country  were  friends  of  my  own.  The  American 
consul  and  his  lady  happened  to  have  ridden  up  also  the 
same  day  ; so,  in  spite  of  fog,  which  grew  thicker  every  mo- 
ment, we  had  a good  time.  As  to  seeing,  we  could  see  noth- 
ing ; hut  then  there  was  nothing  to  see  except  views  ; and 
panoramic  views  from  mountain  tops,  extolled  as  they  may 
be,  do  not  particularly  interest  me.  The  officers,  so  far  as  I 
could  learn,  are  less  ill  off  than  the  privates.  Those  who  are 
married  have  their  wives  with  them  ; they  can  read,  they  can 
draw,  they  can  ride  ; they  have  gardens  about  their  houses 
where  they  can  grow  English  flowers  and  vegetables  and 
try  experiments.  Science  can  be  followed  anywhere,  and 

is  everywhere  a resource.  Major told  me  that  he  had 

never  known  what  it  was  to  find  the  day  too  long.  Healthy 
the  camp  is  at  any  rate.  The  temperature  never  rises  above 
70°  nor  sinks  often  below  60°.  They  require  charcoal  fires 
to  keep  the  damp  out  and  blankets  to  sleep  under  ; and  when 
they  see  the  sun  it  is  an  agreeable  change  and  something  to 
talk  about.  There  are  no  large  incidents,  but  small  ones  do 
instead.  While  I was  there  a man  came  to  report  that  he 
had  slipped  by  accident  and  set  a stone  rolling  ; the  stone 
had  cut  a water  pipe  in  two,  and  it  had  to  be  mended,  and 
was  an  afternoon’s  work  for  somebody.  Such  officers  as  have 
no  resources  in  themselves  are,  of  course,  bored  to  extinction. 
There  is  neither  furred  game  to  hunt  nor  feathered  game  to 
shoot ; the  mongoose  has  eaten  up  the  partridges.  I sug- 
gested that  they  should  import  two  or  three  couple  of  bears 
from  Norway ; they  would  fatten  and  multiply  among  the 
roots  and  sugar  canes,  with  a black  piccaninny  now  and  then 
for  a special  delicacy.  One  of  the  party  extemporised  us  a 
speech  which  would  be  made  on  the  occasion  in  Exeter  Hall. 

We  had  not  seen  the  worst  of  the  weather.  As  we  mount- 
ed to  ride  back  the  fog  changed  to  rain,  and  the  rain  to  a 
deluge.  The  track  became  a torrent.  Macintoshes  were  a 


230 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


vanity,  for  the  water  rushed  down  one’s  neck,  and  every 
crease  made  itself  into  a conduit  carrying  the  stream  among 
one’s  inner  garments.  Dominica  itself  had  not  prepared  me 
for  the  violence  of  these  Jamaican  downpourings.  False  had 
proved  our  prophet  down  below.  There  was  no  help  for  it 
but  to  go  on  ; and  we  knew  by  experience  that  one  does  not 
melt  on  these  occasions.  At  a turn  of  the  road  we  met 
another  group  of  riders,  among  them  Lady  N , who,  dur- 

ing her  husband’s  absence  in  England,  was  living  at  a coun- 
try house  in  the  hills.  She  politely  stopped  and  would  have 
spoken,  but  it  was  not  weather  to  stand  talking  in  ; the  tor- 
rent washed  us  apart. 

And  now  comes  the  strangest  part  of  the  story.  A thou- 
sand feet  down  we  passed  out  below  the  clouds  into  clear 
bright  sunshine.  Above  us  it  was  still  black  as  ever ; the 
vapour  clung  about  the  peaks  and  did  not  leave  them.  Un- 
derneath us  and  round  us  it  was  a lovely  summer’s  day.  The 
farther  we  descended  the  fewer  the  signs  that  any  rain  had 
fallen.  When  we  reached  the  stables  at  Gordon’s  Town,  the 
dust  was  on  the  road  as  we  left  it,  and  the  horsekeeper  con- 
gratulated us  on  the  correctness  of  his  forecast.  Clothes 
soon  dry  in  that  country,  and  we  drove  down  home  none  the 
worse  for  our  wetting.  I was  glad  to  have  seen  a place  of 
which  I had  heard  so  much.  On  the  whole,  I hoped  that 
perhaps  by-and-by  the  authorities  may  discover  some  camp- 
ing ground  for  our  poor  soldiers  halfway  between  the  In- 
ferno of  Fort  Augusta  and  the  Caucasian  cliffs  to  which  they 
are  chained  like  Prometheus.  Malice  did  say  that  Newcastle 

was  the  property  of  a certain  Sir , a high  official  of  a past 

generation,  who  wished  to  part  with  it,  and  found  a conven- 
ient purchaser  in  the  Government. 

The  hospitalities  at  Government  House  were  well  main- 
tained under  the  J administration.  The  colonel  was 

gracious,  the  lady  beautiful  and  brilliant.  There  were  lawn 


Parties  at  Government  House. 


231 


parties  and  evening  parties,  when  all  that  was  best  in  the  isl- 
and was  collected ; the  old  Jamaican  aristocracy,  army  and 
navy  officers,  civilians,  eminent  lawyers,  a few  men  among 
them  of  high  intelligence.  The  tone  was  old-fashioned  and 
courteous,  with  little,  perhaps  too  little,  of  the  go-a-headism 
of  younger  colonies,  but  not  the  less  agreeable  on  that  ac- 
count. As  to  prospects,  or  the  present  condition  of  things 
in  the  island,  there  were  wide  differences  of  opinion.  If 
there  was  unanimity  about  anything,  it  was  about  the  con- 
sequences likely  to  arise  from  an  extension  of  the  principle  of 
self-government.  There,  at  all  events,  lay  the  right  road  to 
the  wrong  place.  The  blacks  had  nothing  to  complain  of, 
and  the  wrong  at  present  was  on  the  other  side.  The  taxa- 
tion falls  heavily  on  the  articles  consumed  by  the  upper 
classes.  The  duty  on  tea,  for  instance,  was  a shilling  a 
pound,  and  the  duties  on  other  luxuries  in  the  same  propor- 
tion. It  did  not  touch  the  negroes  at  all.  They  were  acquir- 
ing land,  and  some  thought  that  there  ought  to  be  a land  tax. 
They  would  probably  object  and  resist,  and  trouble  would 
come  if  it  was  proposed,  for  the  blacks  object  to  taxes;  as 
long  as  there  are  white  men  to  pay  them,  they  will  be  satis- 
fied to  get  the  benefit  of  the  expenditure.  But  let  not  their 
English  friends  suppose  that  when  they  have  the  island  for 
their  own  they  will  tax  themselves  for  police  or  schools,  or 
for  any  other  of  those  educational  institutions  from  which  the 
believers  in  progress  anticipate  such  glorious  results. 

As  to  the  planters,  it  seemed  agreed  that  when  an  estate 
was  unencumbered  and  the  owner  resided  upon  it  and  man- 
aged it  himself,  he  could  still  keep  afloat.  It  was  agreed  also 
that  when  the  owner  was  an  absentee  the  cost  of  management 
consumed  all  the  profits,  and  thus  the  same  impulse  to  sell 
which  had  gone  so  far  in  the  Antilles  was  showing  itself  more 
and  more  in  Jamaica  also.  Fine  properties  all  about  the  isl- 
and were  in  the  market  for  any  price  which  purchasers  could 


232  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

be  found  to  give.  Too  many  even  of  the  old  English  families 
were  tired  of  the  struggle,  and  were  longing  to  be  out  of  it 
at  any  cost. 

At  one  time  we  heard  much  of  the  colonial  Church  and  the 
power  which  it  was  acquiring,  and  as  it  seems  unlikely  that 
the  political  authority  of  the  white  race  will  be  allowed  to 
reassert  itself,  it  must  be  through  their  minds  and  through 
those  other  qualities  which  religion  addresses  that  the  black 
race  will  be  influenced  by  the  white,  if  it  is  ever  to  be  influ- 
enced at  all. 

I had  marked  the  respect  with  which  the  Catholic  clergy 
were  treated  in  Dominica,  and  even  the  Hayti  Republic  still 
maintains  the  French  episcopate  and  priesthood.  But  I could 
not  find  that  the  Church  of  England  in  Jamaica  either  was  at 
present  or  had  ever  been  more  than  the  Church  of  the  English 
in  Jamaica,  respected  as  long  as  the  English  gentry  were  a 
dominant  power  there,  but  with  no  independent  charm  to 
work  on  imagination  or  on  superstition.  Labat  says,  as  I 
noted  above,  that  the  English  clergy  in  his  time  did  not  bap- 
tise the  black  babies,  on  the  curious  ground  that  Christians 
could  not  lawfully  be  held  as  slaves,  and  the  slaves  therefore 
were  not  to  be  made  Christians.  A Jesuit  Father  whom  I 
met  at  Government  House  told  me  that  even  now  the  clergy 
refuse  to  baptise  the  illegitimate  children,  and  as,  according 
to  the  official  returns,  two-thirds  of  the  children  that  are  born 
in  Jamaica  come  into  the  world  thus  irregularly,  they  are  not 
likely  to  become  more  popular  than  they  used  to  be.  Per- 
haps Father was  doing  what  a good  many  other  people 

do,  making  a general  practice  out  of  a few  instances.  Per- 
haps the  blacks  themselves  who  wish  their  children  to  be 
Christians  carry  them  to  the  minister  whom  they  prefer,  and 
that  minister  may  not  be  the  Anglican  clergyman.  Of  Catho- 
lics there  are  not  many  in  Jamaica  ; of  the  Moravians  I heard 
on  all  sides  the  warmest  praise.  They,  above  all  the  religious 


233 


Influences  of  Religion. 

bodies  in  the  island,  are  admitted  to  have  a practical  power 
for  good  over  the  limited  number  of  people  which  belong  to 
them.  But  the  Moravians  are  but  a few.  They  do  not  rush 
to  make  converts  in  the  highways  and  hedges,  and  my  obser- 
vations in  Dominica  almost  led  me  to  wish  that,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  other  forms  of  spiritual  authority,  the  Catholics 
might  become  more  numerous  than  they  are.  The  priests  in 
Dominica  were  the  only  Europeans  who,  for  their  own  sakes 
and  on  independent  grounds,  were  looked  up  to  with  fear 
and  respect. 

The  religion  of  the  future  ! That  is  the  problem  of  prob- 
lems that  rises  before  us  at  the  close  of  this  waning  century. 
The  future  of  the  West  Indies  is  a small  matter.  Yet  that, 
too,  like  all  else,  depends  on  the  spiritual  beliefs  which  are 
to  rise  out  of  the  present  confusion.  Men  w7ill  act  well  and 
wisely,  or  ill  and  foolishly,  according  to  the  form  and  force 
of  their  conceptions  of  duty.  Once  before,  under  the  Roman 
Empire,  the  conditions  were  not  wholly  dissimilar.  The  in- 
herited creed  had  become  unbelievable,  and  the  scientific  in- 
tellect was  turning  materialist.  Christianity  rose  out  of  the 
chaos,  confounding  statesmen  and  philosophers,  and  became 
the  controlling  power  among  mankind  for  1,800  years.  But 
Christianity  found  a soil  prepared  for  the  seed.  The  masses 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Roman  world  were  not  materialist. 
The  masses  of  the  people  believed  already  in  the  supernatural 
and  in  penal  retribution  after  death  for  their  sins.  Lucretius 
complains  of  the  misery  produced  upon  them  by  the  terrors 
of  the  anticipated  Tartarus.  Serious  and  good  men  were 
rather  turning  away  from  atheism  than  welcoming  it  ; and  if 
they  doubted  the  divinity  of  the  Olympian  gods,  it  was  not 
because  they  doubted  whether  gods  existed  at  all,  but  because 
the  immoralities  attributed  to  them  were  unworthy  of  the  ex- 
alted nature  of  the  Divine  Being.  The  phenomena  are  dif- 
ferent now.  Who  is  now  made  wretched  by  the  fear  of  hell? 


234  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

The  tendency  of  popular  thought  is  against  the  supernatural 
in  any  shape.  Far  into  space  as  the  telescope  can  search,  deep 
as  analysis  can  penetrate  into  mind  and  consciousness  or  the 
forces  which  govern  natural  things,  popular  thought  finds 
only  uniformity  and  connection  of  cause  and  effect — no  sign 
anywhere  of  a personal  will  which  is  influenced  by  prayer  or 
moral  motive.  When  a subject  is  still  obscure  we  are  con- 
fident that  it  admits  of  scientific  explanation  ; we  no  longer 
refer  ‘ ad  Deum,’  whom  we  regard  as  a constitutional  monarch 
taking  no  direct  part  at  all.  The  new  creed,  howevei’,  not 
having  crystallised  as  yet  into  a shape  which  can  be  openly 
professed,  and  as  without  any  creed  at  all  the  flesh  and  the 
devil  might  become  too  powerful,  we  maintain  the  old  names 
and  forms,  as  we  maintain  the  monarchy.  We  surround  both 
with  reverence  and  majesty,  and  the  reverence,  being  con- 
fined to  feeling,  continues  to  exercise  a vague  but  wholesome 
influence.  We  row  in  one  way  while  we  look  another.  In 
the  pi'esence  of  the  marked  decay  of  Protestantism  as  a posi- 
tive creed,  the  Protestant  powers  of  Europe  may,  perhaps, 
patch  up  some  kind  of  reconciliation  with  the  old  spiritual 
organisation  which  was  shattered  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  has  since  shown  no  un-willingness  to  adapt  itself  to  mod- 
ern forms  of  thought.  The  Olympian  gods  survived  for  seven 
centuries  after  Aristophanes  with  the  help  of  allegory  and 
‘ economy.’  The  Church  of  Rome  may  survive  as  long  after 
Calvin  and  Luther.  Carlyle  mocked  at  the  possibility  when 
I ventured  to  say  so  to  him.  Yet  Carlyle  seemed  to  think 
that  the  mass  was  the  only  form  of  faith  in  Europe  which 
had  any  sincerity  remaining  in  it. 

A religion,  at  any  rate,  w hich  wall  keep  the  West  Indian 
blacks  from  falling  back  into  devil  worship  is  still  to  seek. 
Constitutions  and  belief  in  progress  may  satisfy  Europe,  but 
will  not  answer  in  Jamaica.  In  spite  of  the  priests,  child 
murder  and  cannibalism  have  reappeared  in  Hayti ; but  with- 


Liberty  and  Authority. 


235 


out  them  tilings  might  have  been  worse  than  they  are,  and 
the  preservation  of  white  authority  and  influence  in  any  form 
at  all  may  be  better  than  none. 

White  authority  and  white  influence  may,  however,  still  be 
preserved  in  a nobler  and  better  way.  Slavery  was  a sur- 
vival from  a social  order  which  had  passed  away,  and  slavery 
could  not  be  continued.  It  does  not  follow  that  per  se  it  was 
a crime.  The  negroes  who  were  sold  to  the  dealers  in  the 
African  factories  were  most  of  them  either  slaves  already  to 
worse  masters  or  were  serai,  servants  in  the  old  meaning  of 
the  word,  prisoners  of  war,  or  else  criminals,  servati  or  re- 
served from  death.  They  would  otherwise  have  been  killed  ; 
and  since  the  slave  trade  has  been  abolished  are  again  killed 
in  the  too  celebrated  ‘customs.’  It  was  a crime  when  the 
chiefs  made  war  on  each  other  for  the  sake  of  captives  whom 
they  could  turn  into  money.  In  many  instances,  perhaps  in 
most,  it  was  innocent  and  even  beneficent.  Nature  has  made 
us  unequal,  and  Acts  of  Parliament  cannot  make  us  equal. 
Some  must  lead  aud  some  must  follow,  and  the  question  is 
only  of  degree  and  kind.  For  myself,  I would  rather  be  the 
slave  of  a Shakespeare  or  a Burghley  than  the  slave  of  a 
majority  in  the  House  of  Commons  or  the  slave  of  my  own 
folly.  Slavery  is  gone,  with  all  that  belonged  to  it ; but  it 
will  be  an  ill  day  for  mankind  if  no  one  is  to  be  compelled 
any  more  to  obey  those  who  are  wiser  than  himself,  and  each 
of  us  is  to  do  only  what  is  right  in  our  own  eyes.  There 
may  be  authority,  yet  not  slavery  : a soldier  is  not  a slave,  a 
sailor  is  not  a slave,  a child  is  not  a slave,  a wife  is  not  a 
slave  ; yet  they  may  not  live  by  their  own  wills  or  emanci- 
pate themselves  at  their  own  pleasure  from  positions  in 
which  nature  has  placed  them,  or  into  which  they  have  them- 
selves voluntarily  entered.  The  negroes  of  the  West  Indies 
are  children,  and  not  yet  disobedient  children.  They  have 
their  dreams,  but  for  the  present  they  are  dreams  only.  If 


236 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

you  enforce  self-government  upon  them  when  they  are  not 
asking  for  it,  you  may  turn  the  dream  into  a reality,  and  wil- 
fully drive  them  back  into  the  condition  of  their  ancestors, 
from  which  the  slave  trade  was  the  beginning  of  their  eman- 
cipation. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


The  Church  of  England  in  Jamaica — Drive  to  Castleton — Botanical 
Gardens — Picnic  by  the  river — Black  women — Ball  at  Government 
House — Mandeville — Miss  Roy — Country  Society — Manners — Amer- 
ican visitors — A Moravian  missionary — The  modern  Radical  creed. 

If  I have  spoken  without  enthusiasm  of  the  working  of  the 
Church  of  England  among  the  negroes,  I have  not  meant  to 
be  disrespectful.  As  I lay  awake  at  daybreak  on  the  Sunday 
morning  after  my  arrival,  I heard  the  sound  of  church  bells, 
not  Catholic  bells  as  at  Dominica,  but  good  old  English  chimes. 
The  Church  is  disestablished  so  far  as  law  can  disestablish  it, 
but,  as  in  Barbadoes,  the  royal  arms  still  stand  over  the  arches 
of  the  chancel.  Introduced  with  the  English  conquest,  it  has 
been  identified  with  the  ruling  order  of  English  gentry,  re- 
spectable, harmless,  and  useful,  to  those  immediately  con- 
nected with  it. 

The  parochial  system,  as  in  Barbadoes  also,  was  spread 
over  the  island.  Each  parish  had  its  church,  its  parsonage 
and  its  school,  its  fonts  where  the  white  children  were  bap- 
tised— in  spite  of  my  Jesuit,  I shall  hope  not  whites  only  ; 
and  its  graveyard,  where  in  time  they  were  laid  to  rest. 
With  their  quiet  Sunday  services  of  the  old  type  the  country 
districts  were  exact  reproductions  of  English  country  villages. 
The  church  whose  bells  I had  heard  was  of  the  more  fashion- 
able suburban  type,  standing  in  a central  situation  halfway 
to  Kingston.  The  service  was  at  the  old  English  hour  of 
eleven.  We  drove  to  it  in  the  orthodox  fashion,  with  our 
prayer  books  and  Sunday  costumes,  the  Colonel  in  uniform. 


238  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

The  gentry  of  the  neighbourhood  are  antiquated  in  their 
habits,  and  to  go  to  church  on  Sunday  is  still  regarded  as  a 
simple  duty.  A dozen  carnages  stood  under  the  shade  at 
the  doors.  The  congregation  was  upper  middle-class  Eng- 
lish of  the  best  sort,  and  was  large,  though  almost  wholly 
white.  White  tablets  as  at  Port  Royal  covered  the  walls, 
with  familiar  English  names  upon  them.  But  for  the  heat  I 
could  have  imagined  myself  at  home.  There  were  no  Aaron 
Bangs  to  be  seen,  or  Paul  Gelids,  with  the  rough  sense,  the 
vigour,  the  energy,  and  roystering  lightheartedness  of  our 
grandfathers.  The  faces  of  the  men  were  serious  and  thought- 
ful, with  the  shadow  resting  on  them  of  an  uncertain  future. 
They  are  good  Churchmen  still,  and  walk  on  in  the  old  paths, 
wherever  those  paths  may  lead.  They  are  old-fashioned  and 
slow  to  change,  and  are  perhaps  belated  in  an  eddy  of  the 
great  stream  of  progress  ; but  they  were  pleasant  to  see  and 
pleasant  to  talk  to.  After  service  there  were  the  usual  shakings 
of  hands  among  Mends  outside  ; arrangements  were  made 
for  amusements  and  expeditions  in  which  I was  invited  to 
join — which  were  got  up,  perhaps,  for  my  own  entertain- 
ment. I was  to  be  taken  to  the  sights  of  the  neighbour- 
hood ; I was  to  see  this  ; I was  to  see  that  ; above  all,  I must 
see  the  Peak  of  the  Blue  Mountains.  The  peak  itself  I could 
see  better  from  below,  for  there  it  stood,  never  moving,  be- 
tween seven  and  eight  thousand  feet  high.  But  I had  had 
mountain  riding  enough,  and  was  allowed  to  plead  my  age 
and  infirmities.  It  was  arranged  finally  that  I should  be 
driven  the  next  day  to  Castleton,  seventeen  miles  off  over  a 
mountain  pass,  to  see  the  Botanical  Gardens. 

Accordingly  early  on  the  following  morning  we  set  off ; 

two  carriages  full  of  us  ; Mr.  M , a new  friend  lately 

made,  but  I hope  long  to  be  preserved,  on  the  box  of  his 
four-in-hand.  The  road  was  as  good  as  all  roads  are  in 
Jamaica  and  Barbadoes,  and  more  cannot  be  said  in  their 


Drive  to  Castleton. 


239 


favour.  Forest  trees  made  a roof  over  our  heads  as  we  climbed 
to  the  crest  of  the  ridge.  Thence  we  descended  the  side  of  a 
long  valley,  a stream  running  below  us  which  gradually  grew 
into  a river.  We  passed  through  all  varieties  of  cultivation. 
On  the  high  ground  there  was  a large  sugar  plantation, 
worked  by  coolies,  the  first  whom  I had  seen  in  Jamaica.  In 
the  alluvial  meadows  on  the  river-side  were  tobacco  fields, 
cleanly  and  carefully  kept,  belonging  to  my  Spanish  friend 
in  Kingston,  and  only  too  rich  in  leaves.  There  was  sago 
too,  and  ginger,  and  tamarinds,  and  cocoa,  and  coffee,  and 
cocoa-nut  palms.  On  the  hill-sides  were  the  garden  farms  of 
the  blacks,  and  were  something  to  see  and  remember.  They 
receive  from  the  Government  at  an  almost  nominal  quit  rent 
an  acre  or  two  of  uncleared  forest.  To  this  as  the  first  step 
they  set  light ; at  twenty  different  spots  we  saw  their  fires 
blazing.  To  clear  an  acre  they  waste  the  timber  on  half  a 
dozen  or  a dozen.  They  plant  their  yams  and  sweet  potatoes 
among  the  ashes  and  grow  crops  there  till  the  soil  is  ex- 
hausted. Then  they  move  on  to  another,  which  they  treat 
with  the  same  recklessness,  leaving  the  first  to  go  back  to 
scrub.  Since  the  Chinaman  burnt  his  house  to  roast  his  pig, 
such  waste  was  never  seen.  The  male  proprietors  were 
lounging  about  smoking.  Their  wives,  as  it  was  market  day, 
were  tramping  into  Kingston  with  their  baskets  on  their 
heads  ; we  met  them  literally  in  thousands,  all  merry  and 
light-hearted,  their  little  ones  with  little  baskets  trudging 
at  their  side.  Of  the  lords  of  the  creation  we  saw,  perhaps, 
one  to  each  hundred  women,  and  he  would  be  riding  on  mule 
or  donkey,  pipe  in  mouth  and  carrying  nothing.  He  would 
be  generally  sulky  too,  while  the  ladies,  young  and  old,  had 
all  a civil  word  for  us  and  curtsied  under  their  loads.  De- 
cidedly if  there  is  to  be  a black  constitution  I would  give  the 
votes  only  to  the  women. 

We  reached  Castleton  at  last.  It  was  in  a hot  damp  valley, 


240 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


said  to  be  a nest  of  yellow  fever.  The  gardens  slightly  dis- 
appointed me  ; my  expectations  had  been  too  much  raised  by 
Trinidad.  There  were  lovely  flowers  of  course,  and  curious 
plants  and  trees.  Every  known  palm  is  growing  there.  They 
try  hard  to  grow  roses,  and  they  say  that  they  succeed.  They 
were  not  in  flower,  and  I could  not  judge.  But  the  familiar 
names  were  all  there,  and  others  which  were  not  familiar, 
the  newest  importations  called  after  the  great  ladies  of  the 
day.  I saw  one  labelled  Mabel  Morrison.  To  find  the 
daughter  of  an  ancient  college  friend  and  contemporary  giv- 
ing a name  to  a plant  in  the  New  "World  makes  one  feel 
dreadfully  old ; but  I expected  to  find,  and  I did  not  find, 
some  useful  practical  horticulture  going  on.  They  ought,  for 
instance,  to  have  been  trying  experiments  with  orange  trees. 
The  orange  in  Jamaica  is  left  to  nature.  They  plant  the 
seeds,  and  leave  the  result  to  chance.  They  neither  bud  nor 
graft,  and  go  upon  the  hypothesis  that  as  the  seed  is,  so  will 
be  the  tree  which  comes  of  it.  Yet  even  thus,  so  favourable 
is  the  soil  and  climate  that  the  oranges  of  Jamaica  are  prized 
above  all  others  which  are  sold  in  the  American  market.  With 
skill  and  knowledge  and  good  selection  they  might  produce 
the  finest  in  the  world.  ‘ There  are  dollars  in  that  island, 
sir,’  as  an  American  gentleman  said  to  me,  ‘ if  they  will  look 
for  them  in  the  right  way.’  Nothing  of  this  kind  was  going 
on  at  Castleton  ; so  much  the  worse,  but  perhaps  things  will 
mend  by-and-by.  I was  consoled  partly  by  another  specimen 
of  the  Amherstia  nobilis.  It  was  not  so  large  as  those  which 
I had  seen  at  Trinidad,  but  it  was  in  splendid  bloom,  and 
certainly  is  the  most  gorgeous  flowering  tree  which  the  world 
contains. 

Wild  nature  also  was  luxuriantly  beautiful  We  picnicked 
by  the  river,  which  here  is  a full  rushing  stream  with  pools 
that  would  have  held  a salmon,  and  did  hold  abundant  mullet. 
We  found  a bower  formed  by  a twisted  vine,  so  thick  that 


Castleton. 


241 


neither  sun  nor  rain  could  penetrate  the  roof.  The  floor  was 
of  shining  shingle,  and  the  air  breathed  cool  from  off  the 
water.  It  was  a spot  which  nymph  or  naiad  may  haunt  here- 
after, when  nymphs  are  born  again  in  the  new  era.  The 
creatures  of  imagination  have  fled  away  from  modern  enlight- 
enment. But  we  were  a pleasant  party  of  human  beings, 
lying  about  under  the  shade  upon  the  pebbles.  "We  had 
brought  a blanket  of  ice  with  us,  and  the  champagne  was 
manufactured  into  cup  by  choicest  "West  Indian  skill.  Fig- 
ures fall  unconsciously  at  such  moments  into  attitudes  which 
would  satisfy  a painter,  and  the  scenes  remain  upon  the  mem- 
ory like  some  fine  finished  work  of  art.  We  had  done  with 
the  gardens,  and  I remember  no  more  of  them  except  that  I 
saw  a mongoose  stalking  a flock  of  turkeys.  The  young  ones 
and  their  mother  gathered  together  and  showed  fight.  The 
old  cock,  after  the  manner  of  the  male  animal,  seemed  chiefly 
anxious  for  his  own  skin.  On  the  way  back  we  met  the  re- 
turning stream  of  women  and  children,  loaded  heavily  as  be- 
fore and  with  the  same  elastic  step.  In  spite  of  all  that  is 
incorrect  about  them,  the  women  are  the  material  to  work 
upon  ; and  if  they  saw  that  we  were  in  earnest,  they  would 
lend  their  help  to  make  their  husbands  bestir  themselves.  A 
Dutch  gentleman  once  boasted  to  me  of  the  wonderful  pros- 
perity of  Java,  where  everybody  was  well  off  and  everybody 
was  industrious.  He  so  insisted  upon  the  industry  that  I 
asked  him  how  it  was  brought  about.  Were  the  people 
slaves?  ‘Oh,’ he  cried,  as  if  shocked,  ‘God  forbid  that  a 
Christian  nation  should  be  so  wicked  as  to  keep  slaves ! ’ 
‘Do  they  never  wish  to  be  idle?’  I asked.  ‘Never,  never,’  he 
said  ; ‘ no,  no  : we  do  not  permit  anyone  to  be  idle.’ 

My  stay  with  Colonel  J was  drawing  to  a close  ; one 

great  festivity  was  impending,  which  I wished  to  avoid  ; but 
the' gracious  lady  insisted  that  I must  remain.  There  was  to 
be  a ball,  and  all  the  neighbourhood  was  invited.  Pretty  it 
16 

. 


242  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

was  sure  to  be.  Windows  and  doors,  galleries  and  passages, 
would  be  all  open.  The  gardens  would  be  lighted  up,  and 
the  guests  could  spread  as  they  pleased.  Brilliant  it  all  was  ; 
more  brilliant  than  you  would  see  in  our  larger  colonies.  A 
ball  in  Sydney  or  Melbourne  is  like  a ball  in  the  north  of 
England  or  in  New  York.  There  are  the  young  men  in 
black  coats,  and  there  are  brightly  dressed  young  ladies  for 
them  to  dance  with.  The  chaperons  sit  along  the  walls  ; the 
elderly  gentlemen  withdraw  to  the  card  room.  Here  all  was 
different.  The  black  coats  in  the  ball  at  Jamaica  were  on  the 
backs  of  old  or  middle-aged  men,  and,  except  Government 
officials,  there  was  hardly  a young  man  present  in  civilian 
dress.  The  rooms  glittered  with  scarlet  and  white  and  blue 
and  gold  lace.  The  officers  were  there  from  the  garrison  and 
the  fleet ; but  of  men  of  business,  of  professional  men,  mer- 
chants, planters,  lawyers,  &c.,  there  were  only  those  who  had 
grown  up  to  middle  age  in  the  island,  whose  fortunes,  bad  or 
good,  were  bound  up  with  it.  When  these  were  gone,  it 
seemed  as  if  there  would  be  no  one  to  succeed  them.  The 
coveted  heirs  of  great  estates  were  no  longer  to  be  found  for 
mothers  to  angle  after.  The  trades  and  professions  in  Kings- 
ton had  ceased  to  offer  the  prospect  of  an  iucome  to  younger 
brothers  who  had  to  make  their  own  way.  For  250  years 
generations  of  Englishmen  had  followed  one  upon  another, 
but  we  seemed  to  have  come  to  the  last.  Of  gentlemen  un- 
connected with  the  public  service,  under  thirty-five  or  forty, 
there  were  few  to  be  seen  ; they  were  seeking  their  fortunes 
elsewhere.  The  English  interest  in  Jamaica  is  still  a consid- 
erable thing.  The  English  flag  flies  over  Government  House, 
and  no  one  so  far  wishes  to  remove  it.  But  the  British  popu- 
lation is  scanty  and  refuses  to  grow.  Ships  and  regiments 
come  and  go,  and  officers  and  State  employes  make  what  ap- 
pears to  be  a brilliant  society.  But  it  is  in  appearance  only. 
The  station  is  no  longer  a favourite  one.  They  are  gone, 


Mandeville. 


243 


those  pleasant  gentry  whose  country  houses  were  the  para- 
dise of  middies  sixty  years  ago.  All  is  changed,  even  to  the 
officers  themselves.  The  drawling  ensign  of  our  boyhood, 
brave  as  a lion  in  the  field,  and  in  the  mess  room  or  the 
drawing  room  an  idiot,  appears  also  to  be  dead  as  the  dodo. 
Those  that  one  meets  now  are  intelligent  and  superior  men — 
no  trace  of  the  frivolous  sort  left.  Is  it  the  effect  of  the  aboli- 
tion of  purchase,  and  competitive  examinations  ? Is  it  that 
the  times  themselves  are  growing  serious,  and  even  the  most 
empty-headed  feel  that  this  is  no  season  for  levity  ? 

I had  seen  what  Jamaican  life  was  like  in  the  upper  spheres, 
and  I had  heard  the  opinions  that  were  current  in  them  ; but 
I wished  to  see  other  parts  of  the  country.  I wished  to  see 
a class  of  people  who  were  farther  from  head  quarters,  and 
who  might  not  all  sing  to  the  same  note.  I determined  to 
start  off  on  an  independent  cruise  of  my  own.  In  the  centre 
of  the  island,  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  it  was  reported 
to  me  that  I should  find  a delightful  village  called  Mande- 
ville, after  some  Duke  of  Manchester  who  governed  Jamaica 
a hundred  years  ago.  The  scenery  was  said  to  have  a special 
charm  of  its  own,  the  air  to  be  exquisitely  pure,  the  land  to 
be  well  cultivated.  Village  manners  were  to  be  found  there 
of  the  old-fashioned  sort,  and  a lodging-house  and  landlady 
of  unequalled  merit.  There  was  a railway  for  the  first  fifty 
miles.  The  line  at  starting  crosses  the  mangrove  swamps  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Cobre  river.  You  see  the  trees  standing 
in  the  water  on  each  side  of  the  road.  Rising  slowly,  it 
hardens  into  level  grazing  ground,  stocked  with  cattle  and 
studded  with  mangoes  and  cedars.  You  pass  Spanish  Town, 
of  which  only  the  roofs  of  the  old  State  buildings  are  visible 
from  the  carriages.  Sugar  estates  follow,  some  of  which  are 
still  in  cultivation,  while  ruined  mills  and  fallen  aqueducts 
show  where  others  once  had  been.  The  scenery  becomes 
more  broken  as  you  begin  to  ascend  into  the  hills.  River 


244  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

beds,  dry  when  I saw  them,  but  powerful  torrents  in  the 
rainy  season,  are  crossed  by  picturesque  bridges.  You  come 
to  the  forest,  where  the  squatters  were  at  their  usual  work, 
burning  out  their  yam  patches.  Columns  of  white  smoke 
were  rising  all  about  us,  yet  so  abundant  the  timber  and  so 
rapid  the  work  of  restoration  when  the  devastating  swarm 
has  passed,  that  in  this  direction  they  have  as  yet  made  no 
marked  impression,  and  the  forest  stretches  as  far  as  eye  can 
reach.  The  glens  grew  more  narrow  and  the  trees  grander 
as  the  train  proceeded.  After  two  hours  we  arrived  at  the 
present  terminus,  an  inland  town  with  the  singular  name  of 
Porus.  No  explanation  is  given  of  it  in  the  local  handbooks  ; 
but  I find  a Porus  among  the  companions  of  Columbus,  and 
it  is  probably  an  interesting  relic  of  the  first  Spanish  occupa- 
tion. The  railway  had  brought  business.  Mule  carts  were 
going  about,  and  waggons ; omnibuses  stood  in  the  yards, 
and  there  were  stores  of  various  kinds.  But  it  was  all  black. 
There  was  not  a white  face  to  be  seen  after  we  left  the  sta- 
tion. One  of  my  companions  in  the  train  was  a Cuban  en- 
gineer, now  employed  upon  the  line  ; a refugee,  I conject- 
ured, belonging  to  the  beaten  party  in  the  late  rebellion, 
from  the  bitterness  with  which  he  spoke  of  the  Spanish  ad- 
ministration. 

Porus  is  many  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  in  a hollow 
where  three  valleys  meet.  Mandeville,  to  which  I was  bound, 
was  ten  miles  farther  on,  the  road  ascending  all  the  way.  A 
carriage  was  waiting  for  me,  but  too  small  for  my  luggage. 
A black  boy  offered  to  carry  up  a heavy  bag  for  a shilling,  a 
feat  which  he  faithfully  and  expeditiously  performed.  After 
climbing  a steep  hill,  we  came  out  upon  a rich  undulating 
plateau,  long  cleared  and  cultivated ; green  fields  with  cows 
feeding  on  them ; pretty  houses  standing  in  gardens  ; a Wes- 
leyan station  ; a Moravian  station,  with  chapels  and  parson- 
ages. The  red  soil  was  mixed  with  crumbling  lumps  of  white 


Mandeville. 


245 


coral,  a ready-made  and  inexhaustible  supply  of  manure. 
Great  silk-cotton  trees  towered  up  in  lonely  magnificence,  the 
home  of  the  dreaded  Jumbi — woe  to  the  wretch  who  strikes 
an  axe  into  those  sacred  stems ! Almonds,  cedars,  mangoes, 
gum  trees  spread  their  shade  over  the  road.  Orange  trees 
were  everywhere ; sometimes  in  orchards,  sometimes  grow- 
ing at  their  own  wild  will  in  hedges  and  copse  and  thicket. 
Finally,  at  the  outskirts  of  a perfectly  English  village,  wo 
brought  up  at  the  door  of  the  lodging  house  kept  by  the  justly 
celebrated  Miss  Roy.  The  house,  or  cottage,  stood  at  the 
roadside,  at  the  top  of  a steep  flight  of  steps  ; a rambling 
one-story  building,  from  which  rooms,  creeper-covered,  had 
been  thrown  out  as  they  were  wanted.  There  was  the  uni- 
versal green  verandah  into  which  they  all  opened  ; and  the 
windows  looked  out  over  a large  common,  used  of  old,  and 
perhaps  now,  as  a race-course  ; on  wooded  slopes,  with  sunny 
mansions  dropped  here  and  there  in  openings  among  the 
woods  ; farm  buildings  at  intervals  in  the  distance,  surrounded 
by  clumps  of  palms  ; and  beyond  them  ranges  of  mountains 
almost  as  blue  as  the  sky  against  which  they  were  faintly  vis- 
ible. Miss  Roy,  the  lady  and  mistress  of  the  establishment, 
came  out  to  meet  me  : middle-aged,  with  a touch  of  the  black 
blood,  but  with  a face  in  which  one  places  instant  and  sure 
dependence,  shrewd,  quiet,  sensible,  and  entirely  good-hu- 
moured. A white-haired  brother,  somewhat  infirm  and  older 
than  she,  glided  behind  her  as  her  shadow.  She  attends  to 
the  business.  His  pride  is  in  his  garden,  where  he  has  gath- 
ered a collection  of  rare  plants  in  admired  disorder  ; the  night- 
blowing cereus  hanging  carelessly  over  a broken  paling,  and 
a palm,  unique  of  its  kind,  waving  behind  it.  At  the  back 
wrere  orange  trees  and  plantains  and  coffee  bushes,  with  long- 
tailed humming  birds  flitting  about  their  nests  among  the 
branches.  All  kinds  of  delicacies,  from  fruit  and  preserves  to 
coffee,  Miss  Roy  grows  for  her  visitors  on  her  own  soil,  and 


246  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

prepares  from  the  first  stage  to  the  last  with  her  own  cun- 
ning hands. 

Having  made  acquaintance  with  the  mistress,  I strolled 
out  to  look  about  me.  After  walking  up  the  road  for  a 
quarter  of  a mile,  I found  myself  in  an  exact  reproduction  of 
a Warwickshire  hamlet  before  the  days  of  railways  and  brick 
chimneys.  There  were  no  elms  to  be  sure — there  were  silk- 
cotton  trees  and  mangoes  where  the  elms  should  have  been  ; 
but  there  were  the  boys  playing  cricket,  and  a market  house, 
and  a modest  inn,  and  a shop  or  two,  and  a blacksmith’s  forge 
with  a shed  where  horses  were  standing  waiting  their  turn  to 
be  shod.  Across  the  green  was  the  parish  church,  with  its 
three  aisles  and  low  square  tower,  in  which  hung  an  old  peal 
of  bells.  Parish  stocks  I did  not  observe,  though,  perhaps,  I 
might  have  had  I looked  for  them  ; but  there  was  a school- 
house  and  parsonage,  and,  withdrawn  at  a distance  as  of  su- 
perior dignity,  what  had  once  perhaps  been  the  squire’s  man- 
sion, when  squire  and  such-like  had  been  the  natural  growth 
of  the  country.  It  was  as  if  a branch  of  the  old  tree  had 
been  carried  over  and  planted  there  ages  ago,  and  as  if  it  had 
taken  root  and  become  an  exact  resemblance  of  the  parent 
stock.  The  people  had  black  faces  ; but  even  they,  too,  had 
shaped  their  manners  on  the  old  English  models.  The  men 
touched  their  hats  respectfully  (as  they  eminently  did  not  in 
Kingston  and  its  environs).  The  women  smiled  and  curtsied, 
and  the  children  looked  shy  when  one  spoke  to  them.  The 
name  of  slavery  is  a horror  to  us  ; but  there  must  have  been 
something  human  and  kindly  about  it,  too,  when  it  left  upon 
the  character  the  marks  of  courtesy  and  good  breeding.  I wish 
I could  say  as  much  for  the  effect  of  modern  ideas.  The  ne- 
groes in  Mandeville  were,  perhaps,  as  happy  in  their  old  con- 
dition as  they  have  been  since  their  glorious  emancipation, 
and  some  of  them  to  this  day  speak  regretfully  of  a time  when 
children  did  not  die  of  neglect ; when  the  sick  and  the  aged 


American  Guests. 


247 


were  taken  care  of,  and  the  strong  and  healthy  were,  at  least, 
as  well  looked  after  as  their  owner’s  cattle. 

Slavery  could  not  last  ; but  neither  can  the  condition  last 
which  has  followed  it.  The  equality  between  black  and 
white  is  a forced  equality  and  not  a real  one,  and  Nature  in 
the  long  run  has  her  way,  and  readjusts  in  their  proper  rela- 
tions what  theorists  and  philanthropists  have  disturbed. 

I was  not  Miss  Eoy’s  only  guest.  An  American  lady  and 
gentleman  were  staying  there  ; he,  I believe,  for  his  health, 
as  the  climate  of  Mandeville  is  celebrated.  Americans,  what- 
ever may  be  their  faults,  are  always  unaffected  ; and  so  are 
easy  to  get  on  with.  We  dined  together,  and  talked  of  the 
place  and  its  inhabitants.  They  had  been  struck  like  myself 
with  the  manners  of  the  peasants,  which  were  something  en- 
tirely new  to  them.  The  lady  said,  and  without  expressing 
the  least  disapproval,  that  she  had  fallen  in  with  an  old  slave 
who  told  her  that,  thanks  to  God,  he  had  seen  good  times. 
‘ He  was  bred  in  a good  home,  with  a master  and  mistress 
belonging  to  him.  What  the  master  and  mistress  had  the 
slaves  had,  and  there  was  no  difference  ; and  his  master  used 
to  visit  at  King’s  House,  and  his  men  were  all  proud  of  him. 
Yes,  glory  be  to  God,  he  had  seen  good  times.’ 

In  the  evening  we  sat  out  in  the  verandah  in  the  soft  sweet 
air,  the  husband  and  I smoking  our  cigars,  and  the  lady  not 
minding  it.  They  had  come  to  Mandeville,  as  we  go  to  Italy, 
to  escape  the  New  England  winter.  They  had  meant  to  stay 
but  a few  days ; they  found  it  so  charming  that  they  had 
stayed  for  many  weeks.  We  talked  on  till  twilight  became 
night,  and  then  appeared  a show  of  natural  pyrotechnics 
which  beat  anything  of  the  kind  which  I had  ever  seen  or 
read  of  : fireflies  as  large  as  cockchafers  flitting  round  us 
among  the  leaves  of  the  creepers,  with  two  long  antennae,  at 
the  point  of  each  of  which  hangs  out  a blazing  lanthorn. 
The  unimaginative  colonists  call  them  gig-lamps.  Had 


248  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

Shakespeare  ever  heard  of  them,  they  would  have  played 
round  Ferdinand  and  Miranda  in  Prospero’s  cave,  and  would 
have  borne  a fairer  name.  The  light  is  bluish-green,  like  a 
glowworm’s,  but  immeasurably  brighter  ; and  we  could  trace 
them  far  away  glancing  like  spirits  over  the  meadows. 

I could  not  wonder  that  my  new  friends  had  been  charmed 
with  the  place.  The  air  was  exquisitely  pure  ; the  tempera- 
ture ten  degrees  below  that  of  Kingston,  never  oppressively 
hot  and  never  cold  ; the  forest  scenery  as  beautiful  as  at  Arden  ; 
and  Miss  Roy’s  provision  for  us,  rooms,  beds,  breakfasts,  din- 
ners, absolutely  without  fault.  If  ever  there  was  an  inspired 
coffee  maker,  Miss  Roy  was  that  person.  The  glory  of  Man- 
deville  is  in  its  oranges.  The  worst  orange  I ate  in  Jamaica 
was  better  than  the  best  I ever  ate  in  Europe,  and  the  best 
oranges  of  Jamaica  are  the  oranges  of  Mandeville.  New 
York  has  found  out  their  merits.  One  gentleman  alone  sent 
twenty  thousand  boxes  to  New  York  last  year,  clearing  a dol- 
lar on  each  box  ; and  this,  as  I said  just  now,  when  Nature 
is  left  to  produce  what  she  pleases,  and  art  has  not  begun  to 
help  her.  Fortunes  larger  than  were  ever  made  by  sugar 
wait  for  any  man,  and  the  blessings  of  the  world  along  with 
it,  wEo  will  set  himself  to  work  at  orange  growing  with 
skill  and  science  in  a place  where  heat  will  not  wither 
the  trees,  nor  frosts,  as  in  Florida,  bite  off  the  blossoms. 
Yellow  fever  was  never  heard  of  there,  nor  any  dangerous 
epidemic,  nor  snake  nor  other  poisonous  reptile.  The 
droughts  which  parch  the  lowlands  are  unknown,  for  an  even 
raiD  falls  all  the  year  and  the  soil  is  always  moist.  I inquired 
with  wonder  why  the  unfortunate  soldiers  who  were  perched 
among  the  crags  at  Newcastle  were  not  at  Mandeville  instead. 
I was  told  that  water  was  the  difficulty  ; that  there  was  no 
river  or  running  stream  there,  and  that  it  had  to  be  drawn 
from  wells  or  collected  into  cisterns.  One  must  applaud  the 
caution  which  the  authorities  have  at  last  displayed  ; but 


Mandeville. 


249 


cattle  thrive  at  Mandeville,  and  sheep,  and  black  men  and 
women  in  luxuriant  abundance.  One  would  like  to  know 
that  the  general  who  sold  the  Newcastle  estate  to  the  Govern- 
ment was  not  the  same  person  who  was  allowed  to  report  as 
to  the  capabilities  of  a spot  which,  to  the  common  observer, 
would  seem  as  perfectly  adapted  for  the  purpose  as  the  other 
is  detestable. 

A few  English  families  were  scattered  about  the  neigh- 
bourhood, among  whom  I made  a passing  acquaintance. 
They  had  a lawn-tennis  club  in  the  village,  which  met  once 
a week ; they  drove  in  with  their  pony  carriages  ; a lady  made 
tea  under  the  trees ; they  had  amusements  and  pleasant  so- 
ciety which  cost  nothing.  They  were  not  rich  ; but  they 
were  courteous,  simple,  frank,  and  cordial. 

Mandeville  is  the  centre  of  a district  which  all  resembles 
it  in  character  and  extends  for  many  miles.  It  is  famous  for 
its  cattle  as  well  as  for  its  fruit,  and  has  excellent  grazing 

grounds.  Mr. , an  officer  of  police,  took  me  round  with 

him  one  morning.  It  was  the  old  story.  Though  there  were 
still  a few  white  proprietors  left,  they  were  growing  fewer, 
and  the  blacks  were  multiplying  upon  them.  The  smoke  of 
their  clearances  showed  where  they  were  at  work.  Many  of 
them  are  becoming  well-to-do.  We  met  them  on  the  roads 
with  their  carts  and  mules  ; the  young  ones  armed,  too,  in 
some  instances  with  good  double-barrelled  muzzle-loaders. 
There  is  no  game  to  shoot,  but  to  have  a gun  raises  them  in 
their  own  estimation,  and  they  like  to  be  prepared  for  con- 
tingencies. Mr. had  a troublesome  place  of  it.  Tli9 

negro  peasantry  were  good-humoured,  he  said,  but  not  uni- 
versally honest.  They  stole  cattle,  and  would  not  give  evi- 
dence against  each  other.  If  brought  into  court,  they  held 
a pebble  in  their  mouths,  being  under  the  impression  that 
when  they  were  so  provided  perjury  did  not  count.  Their 
education  was  only  skin-deep,  and  the  schools  which  the 


250  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

Government  provided  had  not  touched  their  characters  at 
all.  Mr. ’s  duties  brought  him  in  contact  with  the  un- 

favourable specimens.  I received  a far  pleasanter  impression 
from  a Moravian  minister,  who  called  on  me  with  a friend 
who  had  lately  taken  a farm.  I was  particularly  glad  to  see 
this  gentleman,  for  of  the  Moravians  everyone  had  spoken 
well  to  me.  He  was  not  the  least  enthusiastic  about  his  poor 
black  sheep,  but  he  said  that,  if  they  were  not  better  than 
the  average  English  labourers,  he  did  not  think  them  worse. 
They  were  called  idle.  They  would  work  well  enough  if  they 
had  fair  wages,  and  if  the  wages  were  paid  regularly;  but 
what  could  be  expected  when  women  servants  had  but  three 
shillings  a week  and  ‘ found  themselves,’  when  the  men  had 
but  a shilling  a day  and  the  pay  was  kept  in  arrear,  in  order 
that,  if  they  came  late  to  work,  or  if  they  came  irregularly,  it 
might  be  kept  back  or  cut  down  to  what  the  employer  chose 
to  give  ? Under  such  conditions  any  man  of  any  colour 
would  prefer  to  work  for  himself  if  he  had  a garden,  or 
would  be  idle  if  he  had  none.  ‘Living’  costs  next  to  noth- 
ing either  to  them  or  their  families.  But  the  minister  said, 
and  his  friend  confirmed  it  by  his  own  experience,  that 
these  same  fellows  would  work  regularly  and  faithfully  for 
any  master  whom  they  personally  knew  and  could  rely  upon, 
and  no  Englishman  coming  to  settle  there  need  be  afraid  of 
failing  for  want  of  labour,  if  he  had  sense  and  energy,  and 
did  not  prefer  to  lie  down  and  groan.  The  blacks,  my  friends 
said,  were  kindly-hearted,  respectful,  and  well-disposed,  but 
they  were  children  ; easily  excited,  easily  tempted,  easily  mis- 
led, and  totally  unfit  for  self-government.  If  we  wished  to 
ruin  them  altogether,  we  should  persevere  in  the  course  to 
which,  they  were  sorry  to  hear,  we  were  so  inclined.  The 
real  want  in  the  island  was  of  intelligent  Englishmen  to  em- 
ploy and  direct  them,  and  Englishmen  were  going  away  so 
fast  that  they  feared  there  would  soon  be  none  of  them  left. 


American  Experiences. 


251 


This  was  the  opinion  of  two  moderate  and  excellent  men, 
whose  natural  and  professional  prejudices  were  all  on  the 
black  man’s  side. 

It  was  confirmed  both  in  its  favourable  and  unfavourable 
aspects  by  another  impartial  authority.  My  first  American 
acquaintances  had  gone,  but  their  rooms  were  occupied  by 
another  of  their  countrymen,  a specimen  of  a class  of  whom 
more  will  be  heard  in  Jamaica  if  the  fates  are  kind.  The 
English  in  the  island  cast  in  their  lot  with  sugar,  and  if 
sugar  is  depressed  they  lose  heart.  Americans  keep  their 
* eyes  skinned,’  as  they  call  it,  to  look  out  for  other  openings. 
They  have  discovered,  as  I said,  ‘ that  there  are  dollars  in 
Jamaica,’  and  one  has  come,  and  has  set  up  a trade  in  plan- 
tains, in  which  he  is  making  a fortune  ; and  this  gentleman 
had  perceived  that  there  were  ‘ dollars  in  the  bamboo,  and  for 
bamboos  there  was  no  place  in  the  world  like  the  West  In- 
dies. He  came  to  Jamaica,  brought  machines  to  clear  the 
fibre,  tried  to  make  ropes  of  it,  to  make  canvas,  paper,  and  I 
know  not  what.  I think  he  told  me  that  he  had  spent  a 
quarter  of  a million  dollars,  instead  of  finding  any,  before  he 
hit  upon  a paying  use  for  it.  The  bamboo  fibre  has  certain 
elastic  incompressible  properties  in  which  it  is  without  a 
rival.  He  forms  it  into  ‘ packing  ’ for  the  boxes  of  the 
wheels  of  railway  carriages,  where  it  holds  oil  like  a sponge, 
never  hardens,  and  never  wears  out.  He  sends  the  packing 
over  the  world,  and  the  demand  grows  as  it  is  tried.  He  has 
set  up  a factory,  thirty  miles  from  Mandeville,  in  the  valley 
of  the  Black  River.  He  has  a large  body  of  the  negroes 
working  for  him  who  are  said  to  be  so  unmanageable.  He, 
like  Dr.  Nicholls  in  Dominica,  does  not  find  them  unmanage- 
able at  all.  They  never  leave  him  ; they  work  for  him  from 
year  to  year  as  regularly  as  if  they  were  slaves.  They  have 
their  small  faults,  but  he  does  not  magnify  them  into  vices. 
They  are  attached  to  him  with  the  old-fashioned  affection 


252  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

•which  good  labourers  always  feel  for  employers  whom  they 
respect,  and  dismissal  is  dreaded  as  the  severest  of  punish- 
ments. In  the  course  of  time  he  thought  that  they  might  be- 
come fit  for  political  privileges.  To  confer  such  privileges 
on  them  at  present  would  fling  Jamaica  back  into  absolute 
barbarism. 

I said  I wished  that  more  of  his  countrymen  would  come 
and  settle  in  Jamaica  as  he  had  done  and  a few  others 
already.  American  energy  would  be  like  new  blood  in  the 
veins  of  the  poor  island.  He  answered  that  many  would 
probably  come  if  they  could  be  satisfied  that  there  would  be 
no  more  political  experimenting  ; but  they  would  not  risk 
their  capital  if  there  was  a chance  of  a black  parliament. 

If  we  choose  to  make  Jamaica  into  a Hayti,  we  need  not 
look  for  Americans  down  that  way. 

Let  us  hope  that  enthusiasm  for  constitutions  will  for  once 
moderate  its  ardour.  The  black  race  has  suffered  enough  at 
our  hands.  They  have  been  sacrificed  to  slavery  ; are  they 
to  be  sacrificed  again  to  a dream  or  a doctrine  ? There  has 
a new  creed  risen,  while  the  old  creed  is  failing.  It  has  its 
priests  and  its  prophets,  its  formulas  and  its  articles  of 
belief. 

Whosoever  will  be  saved,  before  all  things  it  is  necessary 
that  he  hold  the  Radical  faith. 

And  the  Radical  faith  is  this  : all  men  are  equal,  and  the 
voice  of  one  is  as  the  voice  of  another. 

And  whereas  one  man  is  wise  and  another  foolish,  and  one 
is  upright  and  another  crooked,  yet  in  this  suffrage  none  is 
greater  or  less  than  another.  The  vote  is  equal,  the  dignity 
co-eternal. 

Truth  is  one  and  right  is  one ; yet  right  is  right  because 
the  majority  so  declare  it,  and  justice  is  justice  because  the 
majority  so  declare  it. 


The  Radical  Creed. 


253 


And  if  the  majority  affirm  one  thing  to-day,  that  is  right ; 
and  if  the  majority  affirm  the  opposite  to-morrow,  that  is 
right. 

Because  the  will  of  the  majority  is  the  ground  of  right  and 
there  is  no  other,  &c.,  &c.,  &c. 

This  is  the  Radical  faith,  which,  except  every  man  do  keep 
whole  and  undefiled,  he  is  a Tory  and  an  enemy  of  the  State, 
and  without  doubt  shall  perish  everlastingly. 

Once  the  Radical  was  a Liberal  and  went  for  toleration 
and  freedom  of  opinion.  He  has  become  a believer  now. 
He  is  right  and  you  are  wrong,  and  if  you  do  not  agree  with 
him  you  are  a fool ; and  you  are  wicked  besides.  Voltaire 
says  that  atheism  and  superstition  are  the  two  poles  of  intel- 
lectual disease.  Superstition  he  thinks  the  worse  of  the  two. 
The  atheist  is  merely  mistaken,  and  can  be  cured  if  you  show 
him  that  he  is  wrong.  The  fanatic  can  never  be  cured.  Yet 
each  alike,  if  he  prevails,  will  destroy  human  society.  What 
would  Voltaire  have  expected  for  poor  mankind  had  he  seen 
both  the  precious  qualities  combined  in  this  new  Symbolum 
Fidei  ? 

A creed  is  not  a reasoned  judgment  based  upon  experi- 
ence and  insight.  It  is  a child  of  imagination  and  passion. 
Like  an  organised  thing,  it  has  its  appointed  period  and  then 
dies.  You  cannot  argue  it  out  of  existence.  It  works  for 
good  ; it  works  for  evil ; but  work  it  will  while  the  life  is  in 
it.  Faith,  we  are  told,  is  not  contradictory  to  reason,  but  is 
above  reason.  Whether  reason  or  faith  sees  truer,  events 
will  prove. 

One  more  observation  this  American  gentleman  made  to 
me.  He  was  speaking  of  the  want  of  spirit  and  of  the  de- 
spondency of  the  West  Indian  whites.  ‘ I never  knew,  sir,5 
he  said,  ‘ any  good  come  of  desponding  men.  If  you  intend 
to  strike  a mark,  you  had  better  believe  that  you  can  strike 


254 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


it.  No  one  ever  hit  anything  if  he  thought  that  he  was  most 
likely  to  miss  it.  You  must  take  a cheerful  view  of  things, 
or  you  will  have  no  success  in  this  world.’ 

‘Tyne  heart  tyne  a’,’  the  Scotch  proverb  says.  The 
Anglo-West  Indians  are  tyning  heart,  and  that  is  the  worst 
feature  about  them.  They  can  get  no  help  except  in  them- 
selves, and  they  can  help  themselves  after  all  if  we  allow 
them  fair  play.  The  Americans  will  not  touch  them  politi- 
cally, but  they  will  trade  with  them  ; they  will  bring  their 
capital  and  their  skill  and  knowledge  among  them,  and  make 
the  islands  richer  and  more  prosperous  than  ever  they  were 
— on  one  condition  : they  will  risk  nothing  in  such  enter- 
prises as  long  as  the  shadow  hangs  over  them  of  a possible 
government  by  a black  majority.  Let  it  suffice  to  have 
created  one  Ireland  without  deliberately  manufacturing  a 
second. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Jamaican  hospitality — Cherry  Garden — George  William  Gordon — The 
Gordon  riots — Governor  Eyre — A dispute  and  its  consequences — 
Jamaican  country-house  society — Modern  speculation — A Spanish 
fable — Port  Royal — The  commodore — Naval  theatricals — The  mod- 
ern sailor. 

The  surviving  representatives  of  the  Jamaican  gentry  are  as 
hospitable  as  their  fathers  and  grandfathers  used  to  be.  An 
English  visitor  who  wishes  to  see  the  island  is  not  allowed  to 
take  his  chance  at  hotels — where,  indeed,  his  chance  would  be 
a bad  one.  A single  acquaintance  is  enough  to  start  with. 
He  is  sent  on  with  letters  of  introduction  from  one  house  to 
another,  and  is  assured  of  a favourable  reception.  I was 
treated  as  kindly  as  any  stranger  would  be,  and  that  was  as 
kindly  as  possible.  But  friends  do  not  ask  us  to  stay  with 
them  that  their  portraits  may  be  drawn  in  the  traveller’s  jour- 
nals ; and  I mention  no  one  who  was  thus  good  to  me,  un- 
less some  general  interest  attaches  either  to  himself  or  his 
residence.  Such  interest  does,  however,  attach  to  a spot 
where,  after  leaving  Mandeville,  I passed  a few  days.  The 
present  owner  of  it  was  the  chief  manager  of  the  Kingston 
branch  of  the  Colonial  Bank  : a clever  accomplished  man  of 
business,  who  understood  the  financial  condition  of  the  West 
Indies  better  perhaps  than  any  other  man  living.  He  was  a 
botanist  besides  ; he  had  a fine  collection  of  curious  plants 
which  were  famous  in  the  island  ; and  was  otherwise  a gentle- 
man of  the  highest  standing  and  reputation.  His  lady  was 
one  of  the  old  island  aristocracy — high-bred,  cultivated,  an 


256  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

accomplished  artist ; a person  who  would  have  shone  any 
where  and  in  any  circle,  and  was,  therefore,  contented  to  he 
herself  and  indifferent  whether  she  shone  or  not.  A visit  in 
such  a family  was  likely  to  be  instructive,  and  was  sure  to  he 
agreeable  ; and  on  these  grounds  alone  I should  have  accepted 
gratefully  the  opportunity  of  knowing  them  better  which  they 
kindly  made  for  me  by  an  invitation  to  stay  with  them.  But 
then-  place,  which  was  called  Cherry  Garden,  and  which  I had 
seen  from  the  grounds  at  Government  House,  had  a further 
importance  of  its  own  in  having  been  the  house  of  the  un- 
fortunate George  William  Gordon. 

The  disturbances  with  which  Mr.  Gordon  was  connected, 
and  for  his  share  in  which  he  was  executed,  are  so  recent  and 
so  notorious  that  I need  give  no  detailed  account  of  them, 
though,  of  course,  I looked  into  the  history  again  and  listened 
to  all  that  I could  hear  about  it.  Though  I had  taken  no  part 
in  Mr.  Eyre’s  defence,  I was  one  of  those  who  thought  from 
the  first  that  Mr.  Eyre  had  been  unworthily  sacrificed  to  pub- 
lic clamour.  Had  the  agitation  in  Jamaica  spread,  and  taken 
the  form  which  it  easily  might  have  taken,  he  would  have 
been  blamed  as  keenly  by  one  half  of  the  world  if  he  had 
done  nothing  to  check  it  as  he  was  blamed,  in  fact,  by  the 
other  for  too  much  energy.  Carlyle  used  to  say  that  it  was 
as  if,  when  a ship  had  been  on  fire,  and  the  captain  by  skill 
and  promptitude  had  put  the  fire  out,  his  owner  were  to  say 
to  him,  ‘ Sir,  you  poured  too  much  water  down  the  hold  and 
damaged  the  cargo.’  The  captain  would  answer,  ‘Yes,  sir, 
but  I have  saved  your  ship.’  This  was  the  view  which  I car- 
ried with  me  to  Jamaica,  and  I have  brought  it  back  with  me 
the  same  in  essentials,  though  qualified  by  clearer  perceptions 
of  the  real  nature  of  the  situation. 

Something  of  a very  similar  kind  had  happened  in  Natal 
just  before  I visited  that  colony  in  1874.  I had  seen  the 
whites  there  hardly  recovering  from  a panic  in  which  a com- 


George  William  Gordon. 


257 


mon  police  case  had  been  magnified  by  fear  into  the  begin- 
ning of  an  insurrection.  Langalibalele,  a Caffir  chief  within 
the  British  dominions,  had  been  insubordinate.  He  had  been 
sent  for  to  Maritzberg,  and  had  invented  excuses  for  disobedi- 
ence to  a lawful  order.  The  whites  believed  at  once  that 
there  was  to  be  a genei’al  Caffir  rebellion  in  which  they  would 
all  be  murdered.  They  resolved  to  be  beforehand  with  it. 
They  carried  fire  and  sword  through  two  considerable  tribes. 
At  first  they  thought  that  they  had  covered  themselves  with 
glory  ; calmer  reflection  taught  many  of  them  that  perhaps 
they  had  been  too  hasty,  and  that  Langalibalele  had  never 
intended  to  rebel  at  all.  The  Jamaican  disturbance  was  of  a 
similar  kind.  Mr.  Gordon  had  given  less  provocation  than 
the  Caffir  chief,  but  the  circumstances  were  analogous,  and 
the  actual  danger  was  probably  greater.  Jamaica  had  then 
constitutional  though  not  what  is  called  responsible,  govern- 
ment. The  executive  power  remained  with  the  Crown. 
There  had  been  differences  of  opinion  between  the  governor 
and  the  Assembly.  Gordon,  a man  of  colour,  was  a promi- 
nent member  of  the  opposition.  He  had  called  public  meetings 
of  the  blacks  in  a distant  part  of  the  island,  and  was  en- 
deavouring to  bring  the  pressure  of  public  opinion  on  the 
opposition  side.  Imprudent  as  such  a step  might  have  been 
among  an  ignorant  and  excitable  population,  where  whites 
and  blacks  were  so  unequal  in  numbers,  and  where  they  knew 
so  little  of  each  other,  Mr.  Gordon  was  not  going  beyond 
what  in  constitutional  theory  he  was  legally  entitled  to  do  ; 
nor  was  his  language  on  the  platform,  though  violent  and  in- 
flammatory, any  more  so  than  what  we  listen  to  patiently  at 
home.  Under  a popular  constitution  the  people  are  sov- 
ereign ; the  members  of  the  assemblies  are  popular  dele- 
gates ; and  when  there  is  a division  of  opinion  any  man 
has  a right  to  call  the  constituencies  to  express  their  senti- 
ments. If  stones  were  thrown  at  the  police  and  seditious 
17 


258  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

cries  were  raised,  it  was  no  more  than  might  be  reasonably 
expected. 

We  at  home  can  be  calm  on  such  occasions  because  we 
know  that  there  is  no  real  danger,  and  that  the  law  is  strong 
enough  to  assert  itself.  In  Jamaica  a few  thousand  white 
people  were  living  in  the  middle  of  negroes  forty  times  their 
number — once  their  slaves,  now  raised  to  be  their  political 
equals — each  regarding  the  other  on  the  least  provocation 
with  resentment  and  suspicion.  In  England  the  massacre  in 
Hayti  is  a half-forgotten  story.  Not  one  person  in  a thousand 
of  those  who  clamoured  for  the  prosecution  of  Governor  Eyre 
had  probably  ever  heard  of  it.  In  Jamaica  it  is  ever  present 
in  the  minds  of  the  Europeans  as  a frightful  evidence  of  what 
the  negroes  are  capable  when  roused  to  frenzy.  The  French 
planters  had  done  nothing  particularly  cruel  to  deserve  their 
animosity,  and  were  as  well  regarded  by  their  slaves  as  ever 
we  had  been  in  the  English  islands.  Yet  in  a fever  of  politi- 
cal excitement,  and  as  a reward  for  the  decree  of  the  Paris 
Revolutionary  Government,  which  declared  them  free,  they 
allowed  the  liberty  which  was  to  have  elevated  them  to  the 
white  man’s  level  to  turn  them  into  devils  ; and  they  mas- 
sacred the  whole  of  the  French  inhabitants.  It  was  inevi- 
table that  when  the  volcano  in  Jamaica  began  to  show  symp- 
toms of  similar  activity  the  whites  residing  there  should  be 
unable  to  look  on  with  the  calmness  which  we,  from  thousands 
of  miles  away,  unreasonably  expected  of  them.  They  im- 
agined their  houses  in  flames,  and  themselves  and  their  fami- 
lies at  the  mercy  of  a furious  mob.  No  personal  relation 
between  the  two  races  has  grown  up  to  take  the  place  of 
slavery.  The  white  gentry  have  blacks  for  labourers,  blacks 
for  domestic  servants,  yet  as  a rule  (though,  of  course,  there 
are  exceptions)  they  have  no  interest  in  each  other,  no  esteem 
nor  confidence  : therefore  any  symptom  of  agitation  is  certain 
to  produce  a panic,  and  panic  is  always  violent. 


259 


Governor  Eyre  and  Gordon. 

The  blacks  who  attended  Gordon’s  meetings  came  armed 
with  guns  and  cutlasses  ; a party  of  white  volunteers  went 
in  consequence  to  watch  them,  and  to  keep  order  if  they 
showed  signs  of  meaning  insurrection.  Stones  were  thrown  ; 
the  Riot  Act  was  read,  more  stones  followed,  and  then 
the  volunteers  fired,  and  several  persons  were  killed.  Of 
course  there  was  fury.  The  black  mob  then  actually  did 
rise.  They  marched  about  that  particular  district  destroy- 
ing plantations  and  burning  houses.  That  they  did  so  little, 
and  that  the  flame  did  not  spread,  was  a proof  that  there  was 
no  premeditation  of  rebellion,  no  prepared  plan  of  action,  no 
previous  communication  between  the  different  parts  of  the 
island  with  a view  to  any  common  movement.  There  was  no 
proof,  and  there  was  no  reason  to  suppose,  that  Gordon  had 
intended  an  armed  outbreak.  He  would  have  been  a fool  if 
he  had,  when  constitutional  agitation  and  the  weight  of  num- 
bers at  his  back  would  have  secured  him  all  that  he  wanted. 
When  inflammable  materials  are  brought  together,  and  sparks 
are  flying,  you  cannot  equitably  distribute  the  blame  or  the 
punishment.  Eyre  was  responsible  for  the  safety  of  the  isl- 
and. He  was  not  a Jamaican.  The  rule  in  the  colonial  ser- 
vice is  that  a governor  remains  in  any  colony  only  long  enough 
to  begin  to  understand  it.  He  is  then  removed  to  another  of 
which  he  knows  nothing.  He  is  therefore  absolutely  depend- 
ent in  any  difficulty  upon  local  advice.  When  the  riots  began 
every  white  man  in  Jamaica  was  of  one  opinion,  that  unless 
the  fire  was  stamped  out  promptly  they  would  all  be  mur- 
dered. Being  without  experience  himself,  it  was  very  diffi- 
cult for  Mr.  Eyre  to  disregard  so  complete  a unanimity.  I 
suppose  that  a perfectly  calm  and  determined  man  would 
have  seen  in  the  unanimity  itself  the  evidence  of  alarm  and 
imagination.  He  ought  perhaps  to  have  relied  entirely  on 
the  police  and  the  regular  troops,  and  to  have  called  in  the 
volunteers.  But  here  again  was  a difficulty ; for  the  police 


260  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

were  black  and  tbe  West  India  regiments  were  black,  and 
the  Sepoy  rebellion  was  fresh  in  everybody’s  memory.  He 
had  no  time  to  deliberate.  He  had  to  act,  and  to  act 
promptly;  and  if,  relying  on  his  own  judgment,  he  had  dis- 
regarded what  everyone  round  him  insisted  upon,  and  if 
mischief  had  afterwards  come  of  it,  the  censure  which  would 
have  fallen  upon  him  would  have  been  as  severe  as  it  would 
have  been  deserved.  He  assumed  that  the  English  colonists 
were  right  and  that  a general  rebellion  had  begun.  They  all 
armed.  They  formed  into  companies.  The  disturbed  dis- 
trict was  placed  under  martial  law,  and  these  extemporised 
regiments,  too  few  in  number  to  be  merciful,  saw  safety  only 
in  striking  terror  into  the  poor  wretches.  It  was  in  Jamaica 
as  it  was  in  Natal  afterwards  ; but  we  must  allow  for  human 
nature  and  not  be  hasty  to  blame.  If  the  rising  at  Morant 
Bay  was  but  the  boiling  over  of  a pot  from  the  oratory  of  an 
excited  patriot,  there  was  deplorable  cruelty  and  violence. 
But,  again,  it  was  all  too  natural.  Men  do  not  bear  easily  to 
see  their  late  servants  on  their  way  to  become  their  political 
masters,  and  they  believe  the  worst  of  them  because  they  are 
afraid.  A model  governor  would  have  rather  restrained  their 
ardour  than  encouraged  it,  but  all  that  can  be  said  against 
Mr.  Eyre  (so  far  as  regarded  the  general  suppression  of  the 
insurgents)  is  that  he  acted  as  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine 
men  out  of  a thousand  would  have  acted  in  his  place,  and 
more  ought  not  to  be  expected  of  average  colonial  gov- 
ernors. 

His  treatment  of  Gordon,  the  original  cause  of  the  disturb- 
ance, was  more  questionable.  Gordon  had  returned  to  his 
own  house,  the  house  where  I was  going,  within  sight  of 
Eyre’s  windows.  It  -would  have  been  fair,  and  perhaps  right, 
to  arrest  him,  and  right  also  to  bring  him  to  trial,  if  he  had 
committed  any  offence  for  which  he  could  be  legally  punished. 
So  strong  was  the  feeling  against  him  that,  if  every  white  man 


Eyre  and  Gordon. 


261 


in  Kingston  had  been  empannelled,  there  would  have  been 
a unanimous  verdict  and  they  would  not  have  looked  too 
closely  into  niceties  of  legal  construction.  Unfortunately  it 
was  doubtful  whether  Gordon  had  done  anything  which 
could  be  construed  into  a capital  crime.  He  had  a right  to 
call  public  meetings  together.  He  had  a right  to  appeal  to 
political  passions,  and  to  indulge  as  freely  as  he  pleased  in  the 
patriotic  commonplaces  of  platforms,  provided  he  did  not 
himself  advise  or  encourage  a breach  of  the  peace,  and  this  it 
could  not  easily  be  proved  that  he  had  done.  He  was,  how- 
ever, the  leader  of  the  opposition  to  the  Government,  The 
opposition  had  broken  into  a riot,  and  Gordon  was  guilty  of 
having  excited  the  feelings  which  led  to  it.  The  leader  could 
not  be  allowed  to  escape  unpunished  while  his  followers  were 
being  shot  and  flogged.  The  Kingston  district  where  he  re- 
sided was  under  the  ordinary  law.  Eyre  sent  him  into  the 
district  which  was  under  martial  law,  tried  him  by  a military 
court  and  hanged  him. 

The  Cabinet  at  home  at  first  thanked  their  representative 
for  having  saved  the  island.  A clamour  rose,  and  they  sent 
out  a commission  to  examine  into  what  had  happened.  The 
commission  reported  unfavourably,  and  Eyre  was  dismissed 
and  ruined.  In  Jamaica  I never  heard  anyone  express  a 
doubt  on  the  full  propriety  of  his  action.  He  carried  away 
with  him  the  affection  and  esteem  of  the  whole  of  the  English 
colonists,  who  believe  that  he  saved  them  from  destruction. 
In  my  own  opinion  the  fault  was  not  in  Mr.  Eyre,  and  was 
not  in  the  unfortunate  Gordon,  but  in  those  who  had  insisted 
on  applying  a constitutional  form  of  government  to  a country 
where  the  population  is  so  unfavourably  divided.  If  the 
numbers  of  white  and  black  were  more  nearly  equal,  the  ob- 
jection would  be  less,  for  the  natural  superiority  of  the  white 
would  then  assert  itself  without  difficulty,  and  there  would 
be  no  panics.  Where  the  disproportion  is  so  enormous  as  it 


262  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

is  in  Jamaica,  where  intelligence  and  property  are  in  a mis- 
erable minority,  and  a half-reclaimed  race  of  savages,  canni- 
bals not  long  ago,  and  capable,  as  the  state  of  Hayti  shows, 
of  reverting  to  cannibalism  again,  are  living  beside  them  as 
their  political  equals,  such  panics  arise  from  the  nature  of 
things,  and  will  themselves  cause  the  catastrophe  from  the 
dread  of  which  they  spring.  Mutual  fear  and  mistrust  can 
lead  to  nothing  in  the  end  but  violent  collisions.  The  theory 
of  constitutional  government  is  that  the  majority  shall  rule 
the  minority,  and  as  long  as  the  qualities,  moral  and  mental, 
of  the  parties  are  not  grossly  dissimilar,  such  an  arrangement 
forms  a tolerable  modus  vivendi.  Where  in  character,  in 
mental  force,  in  energy,  in  cultivation,  there  is  no  equality  at 
all,  but  an  inequality  which  has  existed  for  thousands  of 
years,  and  is  as  plain  to-day  as  it  was  in  the  Egypt  of  the 
Pharaohs,  to  expect  that  the  intelligent  few  will  submit  to 
the  unintelligent  many  is  to  expect  what  has  never  been 
found  and  what  never  ought  to  be  found.  The  whites  can- 
not be  trusted  to  rule  the  blacks,  but  for  the  blacks  to  rule 
the  whites  is  a yet  grosser  anomaly.  Were  England  out  of 
the  way,  there  would  be  a war  of  extermination  between 
them.  England  prohibits  it,  and  holds  the  balance  in  forced 
equality.  England,  therefore,  so  long  as  the  West  Indies  are 
English,  must  herself  rule,  and  rule  impartially,  and  so  acquit 
herself  of  her  self-chosen  responsibilities.  Let  the  colonies 
which  are  occupied  by  our  own  race  rule  themselves  as  we 
rule  ourselves.  The  English  constituencies  have  no  rights 
over  the  constituencies  of  Canada  and  Australia,  for  the 
Canadians  and  Australians  are  as  well  able  to  manage  their 
own  affairs  as  we  are  to  manage  ours.  If  they  prefer  even  to 
elect  governors  of  their  own,  let  them  do  as  they  please.  The 
link  between  us  is  community  of  blood  and  interest,  and  will 
not  part  over  details  of  administration.  But  in  these  other 
colonies  which  are  our  own  we  must  accept  the  facts  as  they 


Drive  to  Cherry  Garden.  263 

are.  Those  who  will  not  recognise  realities  are  always  beaten 
in  the  end. 

The  train  from  Porus  brought  us  back  to  Kingston  an 
- hour  before  sunset.  The  evening  was  lovely,  even  for  Ja- 
maica. The  sea  breeze  had  fallen.  The  land  breeze  had  not 
risen,  and  the  dust  lay  harmless  on  road  and  hedge.  Cherry 
Garden,  to  which  I was  bound,  was  but  seven  miles  distant 
by  the  direct  road,  so  I calculated  on  a delightful  drive  which 
would  bring  me  to  my  destination  before  dark.  So  I cal- 
culated ; but  alas ! for  human  expectation.  I engaged  a 
‘ buggy  ’ at  the  station,  with  a decent-looking  conductor,  who 
assured  me  that  he  knew  the  way  to  Cherry  Garden  as  well 
as  to  his  own  door.  His  horse  looked  starved  and  miserable. 
He  insisted  that  there  was  not  another  in  Kingston  that  was 
more  than  a match  for  it.  We  set  out,  and  for  the  first  two 
or  three  miles  we  went  on  well  enough,  conversing  amicably 
upon  things  in  general.  But  it  so  happened  that  it  was  again 
market  day.  The  road  was  thronged  as  before  with  women 
plodding  along  with  their  baskets  on  their  heads,  a single 
male  on  a donkey  to  each  detachment  of  them,  carrying  noth- 
ing, like  an  officer  with  a company  of  soldiers.  Foolish  in- 
dignation rose  in  me,  and  I asked  my  friend  if  he  was  not 
ashamed  of  seeing  the  poor  creatures  toiling  so  cruelly,  while 
their  lords  and  masters  amused  themselves.  I appealed  to 
his  feelings  as  a man,  as  if  it  was  likely  that  he  had  got  any. 
The  wretch  only  laughed.  ‘ Ah,  massa,’  he  said,  with  his 
tongue  in  his  cheek,  ‘women  do  women’s  work,  men  do 
men’s  work — all  right.’  ‘ And  what  is  men’s  work  ? ’ I asked. 
Instead  of  answering  he  went  on,  ‘Look  at  they  women, 
massa — how  they  laugh — how  happy  they  be ! Nobody  more 
happy  than  black  woman,  massa.’  I would  not  let  him 
off.  I pricked  into  him,  till  he  got  excited  too,  and  we  ar- 
gued and  contradicted  each  other,  till  at  last  the  horse,  find- 
ing he  was  not  attended  to,  went  his  own  way  and  that 


264  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

was  a wrong  one.  Between  Kingston  and  our  destination 
there  is  a deep  sandy  flat,  overgrown  with  bush  and  pene- 
trated in  all  directions  with  labyrinthine  lanes.  Into  this  we 
had  wandered  in  our  quarrels,  and  neither  of  us  knew  where 
we  were.  The  sand  was  loose  ; our  miserable  beast  was 
above  his  fetlocks  in  it,  and  was  visibly  dropping  under  his 
efforts  to  drag  us  along  even  at  a walk.  The  sun  went  down. 
The  tropic  twilight  is  short.  The  evening  star  shone  out  in 
the  west,  and  the  crescent  moon  over  our  heads.  My  man 
said  this  and  said  that ; every  word  was  a lie,  for  he  had  lost 
his  way  and  would  not  allow  it.  We  saw  a light  through 
some  trees.  I sent  him  to  inquire.  We  were  directed  one 
way  and  another  way,  every  way  except  the  right  one.  We 
emerged  at  last  upon  a hard  road  of  some  kind.  The  stars 
told  me  the  general  direction.  We  came  to  cottages  where 
the  name  of  Cherry  Garden  was  known,  and  we  were  told 
that  it  was  two  miles  off ; but,  alas  ! again  there  were  two 
roads  to  it ; a short  and  good  one,  and  a long  and  bad 
one,  and  they  sent  us  by  the  last.  There  was  a steep  hill  to 
climb,  for  the  house  is  800  feet  above  the  sea.  The  horse 
could  hardly  crawl,  and  my  ‘nigger’  went  to  work  to  flog 
him  to  let  off  his  own  ill-humour.  I had  to  stop  that  by 
force,  and  at  last,  as  it  grew  too  dark  to  see  the  road  under 
the  trees,  I got  out  and  walked,  leaving  him  to  follow  at  a 
foot’s  pace.  The  night  was  lovely.  I began  to  think  that  we 
should  have  to  camp  out  after  all,  and  that  it  would  be  no 
great  hardship. 

It  was  like  the  gloaming  of  a June  night  in  England,  the 
daylight  in  the  open  spots  not  entirely  gone,  and  mixing 
softly  with  the  light  of  moon  and  planet  and  the  flashing  of 
the  fireflies.  I plodded  on  mile  after  mile,  and  Cherry  Gar- 
den still  reeeded  to  one  mile  farther.  We  came  to  a gate  of 
some  consequence.  The  outline  of  a large  mansion  was  visi- 
ble with  gardens  round  it.  I concluded  that  we  had  arrived, 


Drive  to  Cherry  Garden. 


265 


and  was  feeling  for  the  latch  when  the  forms  of  a lady  and 
gentleman  appeared  against  the  sky  who  were  strolling  in  the 
grounds.  They  directed  me  still  upwards,  with  the  mile 
which  never  diminished  still  to  be  travelled.  Like  myself, 
our  weary  animal  had  gathered  hopes  from  the  sight  of  the 
gate.  He  had  again  to  drag  on  as  he  could.  His  owner  was 
subdued  and  silent,  and  obeyed  whatever  order  I gave  him. 
The  trees  now  closed  over  us  so  thick  that  I could  see  noth- 
ing. Vainly  I repented  of  my  unnecessary  philanthropy 
which  had  been  the  cause  of  the  mischief ; what  had  I to  do 
with  black  women,  or  white  either  for  that  matter  ? I had  to 
feel  the  way  with  my  feet  and  a stick.  I came  to  a place  where 
the  lane  again  divided.  I tried  the  nearest  turn.  I found  a 
trench  across  it  three  feet  deep,  which  had  been  cut  by  a tor- 
rent. This  was  altogether  beyond  the  capacity  of  our  un- 
fortunate animal,  so  I took  the  other  boldly,  prepared  if  it 
proved  wrong  to  bivouac  till  morning  with  my  ‘ nigger,’  and 
go  on  with  my  argument.  Happily  there  was  no  need  ; we 
came  again  on  a gate  which  led  into  a field.  There  was  a 
drive  across  it  and  wire  fences.  Finally  lights  began  to  glim- 
mer and  dogs  to  bark  : we  were  at  the  real  Cherry  Garden  at 
last,  and  found  the  whole  household  alarmed  for  what  had 
become  of  us.  I could  not  punish  my  misleader  by  stinting 
his  fare,  for  I knew  that  I had  only  myself  to  blame.  He 
was  an  honest  fellow  after  all.  In  the  disturbance  of  my 
mind  I left  a rather  valuable  umbrella  in  his  buggy.  He  dis- 
covered it  after  he  had  gone,  and  had  grace  enough  to  see 
that  it  was  returned  to  me. 

My  entertainers  were  much  amused  at  the  cause  of  the 
misadventure,  perhaps  unique  of  its  kind  ; to  address  homi- 
lies to  the  black  people  on  the  treatment  of  their  wives  not 
being  the  fashion  in  these  parts. 

If  there  are  no  more  Aaron  Bangs  in  Jamaica,  there  are 
very  charming  people  ; as  I found  when  I turned  this  new 


266 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

leaf  in  my  West  Indian  experience.  Mr.  M could  not 

have  taken  more  pains  with  me  if  I had  been  his  earliest 
friend.  The  chief  luxury  which  he  allowed  himself  in  his 
simple  life  was  a good  supply  of  excellent  horses.  His  busi- 
ness took  him  every  day  to  Kingston,  but  he  left  me  in  charge 
of  his  family,  and  I had  £ a good  time,’  as  the  Americans  say. 
The  house  was  large,  with  fine  airy  rooms,  a draught  so  con- 
stantly blowing  through  it  that  the  candles  had  to  be  cov- 
ered with  bell  glasses  ; but  the  draughts  in  these  countries 
are  the  very  breath  of  life.  It  had  been  too  dark  when  I ar- 
rived to  see  anything  of  the  surroundings,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing I strolled  out  to  see  what  the  place  was  like.  It  lies  just 
at  the  foot  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  where  the  gradual  slope 
from  the  sea  begins  to  become  steep.  The  plain  of  Kingston 
lay  stretched  before  me,  with  its  woods  and  cornfields  and 
villas,  the  long  straggling  town,  the  ships  at  anchor  in  the 
harbour,  the  steamers  passing  in  and  out  with  their  long 
trails  of  smoke,  the  sand-spit  like  a thin  grey  line  lying  upon 
the  water,  as  the  natural  breakwater  by  which  the  harbour 
is  formed,  and  beyond  it  the  broad  blue  expanse  of  the  Car- 
ibbean Sea.  The  foreground  was  like  an  English  park, 
studded  over  with  handsome  forest  trees  and  broken  by  the 
rains  into  picturesque  ravines.  Some  acres  were  planted 
with  oranges  of  the  choicer  sorts,  as  an  experiment  to  show 
what  Jamaica  could  do,  but  they  were  as  yet  young  and  had 
not  come  into  bearing.  Round  the  houses  were  gardens 
where  the  treasures  'of  our  hothouses  were  carelessly  and 
lavishly  scattered.  Stephanotis  trailed  along  the  railing  or 
climbed  over  the  trellis.  Oleanders  white  and  pink  waved 
over  marble  basins,  and  were  sprinkled  by  the  spray  from 
spouting  fountains.  Crotons  stood  about  in  tubs,  not  small 
plants  as  we  know  them,  but  large  shrubs  ; great  purple  or 
parti-coloured  bushes.  They  have  a fancy  for  crotons  in  the 
West  Indies  ; I suppose  as  a change  from  the  monotony  of 


KINGSTON  AND  HARBOUR,  FROM  CHERRY  GARDEN. 


Cherry  Garden. 


267 


green.  I cannot  share  it.  A red  leaf,  except  in  autumn  be- 
fore it  falls,  is  a kind  of  monster,  and  I am  glad  that  Nature 
has  made  so  few  of  them.  In  the  shade  of  the  trees  behind 
the  house  was  a collection  of  orchids,  the  most  perfect,  I be- 
lieve, in  the  island. 

And  here  Gordon  had  lived.  Here  he  had  been  arrested 
and  carried  away  to  his  death  ; his  crime  being  that  he  had 
dreamt  of  regenerating  the  negro  race  by  baptising  them  in 
the  Jordan  of  English  Radicalism.  He  would  have  brought 
about  nothing  but  confusion,  and  have  precipitated  Jamaica 
prematurely  into  the  black  anarchy  into  which  perhaps  it  is 
still  destined  to  fall.  But  to  hang  him  was  an  extreme  meas- 
ure, and,  in  the  present  state  of  public  opinion,  a dangerous 
one. 

One  does  not  associate  the  sons  of  darkness  with  keen  per- 
ceptions of  the  beautiful.  Yet  no  mortal  ever  selected  a 
lovelier  spot  for  a residence  than  did  Gordon  in  choosing 
Cherry  Garden.  How  often  had  his  round  dark  eyes  wan- 
dered over  the  scenes  at  which  I was  gazing,  watched  the 
early  rays  of  the  sun  slanting  upwards  to  the  high  peaks  of  the 
Blue  Mountains,  or  the  last  as  he  sank  in  gold  and  crimson 
behind  the  hills  at  Mandeville  ; watched  the  great  steamers 
entering  or  leaving  Port  Royal,  and  at  night  the  gleam  of  the 
lighthouse  from  among  the  palm  trees  on  the  spit.  Poor  fel- 
low ! one  felt  very  sorry  for  him,  and  sorry  for  Mr.  Eyre,  too. 
The  only  good  that  came  of  it  all  was  the  surrender  of  the 
constitution  and  the  return  to  Crown  government,  and  this 
our  wonderful  statesmen  are  beginning  to  undo. 

No  one  understood  better  than  Mr.  M the  troubles 

and  dangers  of  the  colony,  but  he  was  inclined,  perhaps  by 
temperament,  perhaps  by  knowledge,  to  take  a cheerful  view 
of  things.  For  the  present  at  least  he  did  not  think  that 
there  was  anything  serious  to  be  feared.  The  finances,  of 
which  he  had  the  best  means  of  judging,  were  in  tolerable 


268  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

condition.  The  debt  was  considerable,  but  more  than  half 
of  it  was  represented  by  a railway.  If  sugar  was  languish- 
ing, the  fruit  trade  with  the  United  States  was  growing  with 
the  liveliest  rapidity.  Planters  and  merchants  were  not 
making  fortunes,  but  business  went  on.  The  shares  in  the 
Colonial  Bank  were  not  at  a high  quotation,  but  the  securi- 
ties were  sound,  the  shareholders  got  good  dividends,  and 
eight  and  ten  per  cent,  was  the  interest  charged  on  loans. 
High  interest  might  be  a good  sign  or  a bad  one.  Anyway 

Mr.  M could  not  see  that  there  was  much  to  be  afraid  of 

in  Jamaica.  There  had  been  bad  times  before,  and  they  had 
survived  notwithstanding.  He  was  a man  of  business,  and 
talked  himself  little  about,  politics.  As  it  had  been,  so  it 
would  be  again. 

In  his  absence  at  his  work  I found  friends  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood who  were  all  attention  and  politeness.  One  took 
me  to  see  my  acquaintances  at  the  camp  again.  Another 
drove  me  about,  showed  me  the  house  where  Scott  had  lived, 
the  author  of  ‘ Tom  Cringle.’  One  round  in  particular  left  a 
distinct  impression.  It  was  through  a forest  which  had  once 
been  a flourishing  sugar  estate.  Deep  among  the  trees  were 
the  ruins  of  an  aqueduct  which  had  brought  water  to  the 
mill,  now  overgrown  and  crumbling.  The  time  had  not  been 
long  as  we  count  time  in  the  history  of  nations,  but  there 
had  been  enough  for  the  arches  to  fall  in,  the  stream  to 
return  to  its  native  bed,  the  tropical  vegetation  to  spring  up 
in  its  wild  luxuriance  and  bury  in  shade  the  ruins  of  a past 
civilisation. 

I fell  in  with  interesting  persons  who  talked  metaphysics 
and  theology  with  me,  though  one  would  not  have  expected 
it  in  Jamaica.  In  this  strange  age  of  ours  the  spiritual  at- 
mosphere is  more  confused  than  at  any  period  during  the 
last  eighteen  hundred  years.  Men’s  hearts  are  failing  them 
for  fear,  not  knowing  any  longer  where  to  rest.  We  look 


Modern  Scepticism.  2G9 

this  way  and  that  way,  and  catch  at  one  another  like  drown- 
ing men.  Go  where  you  will,  you  find  the  same  phenomena. 
Science  grows,  and  observers  are  adding  daily  to  our  knowl- 
edge of  the  nature  and  structure  of  the  material  universe, 
but  they  tell  us  nothing,  and  can  tell  us  nothing,  of  what  we 
most  want  to  know.  They  cannot  tell  us  what  our  own  nat- 
ure is.  They  cannot  tell  us  what  God  is,  or  what  duty  is. 
We  had  a belief  once,  in  which,  as  in  a boat,  we  floated 
safely  on  the  unknown  ocean  ; but  the  philosophers  and 
critics  have  been  boring  holes  in  the  timbers  to  examine 
the  texture  of  the  wood,  and  now  it  leaks  at  every  one  of 
them.  We  have  to  help  ourselves  in  the  best  way  that  we 
can.  Some  strike  out  new  ideas  for  themselves,  others  go 
back  to  the  seven  sages,  and  lay  again  for  themselves  the  old 
eggs,  which,  after  laborious  incubation,  will  be  addled  as 
they  were  addled  before.  To  my  metaphysical  friends  in 
Jamaica  the  ‘Light  of  Asia  ’ had  been  shining  amidst  German 
dreams,  and  the  moonlight  of  the  Yedas  had  been  illuminat- 
ing the  pessimism  of  Schopenhauer.  So  it  is  all  round. 
Mr.  goes  to  Mount  Carmel  to  listen  for  communica- 

tions from  Elijah  ; fashionable  countesses  to  the  shrine  of 
Our  Lady  at  Lourdes.  ‘Are  you  a Buddhist?’  lisps  the 
young  lady  in  Mayfair  to  the  partner  with  whom  she  is  sit- 
ting out  at  a ball.  ‘ It  is  so  nice,’  said  a gentleman  to  me 
who  has  been  since  promoted  to  high  office  in  an  unfortunate 
colony,  * it  is  so  nice  to  talk  of  such  things  to  pretty  girls,  and 
it  always  ends  in  one  way,  you  know.’  Conversations  on 
theology,  at  least  between  persons  of  opposite  sex,  ought  to 
be  interdicted  by  law  for  everyone  under  forty.  But  there 
are  questions  on  which  old  people  may  be  permitted  to  ask 
one  another  what  they  think,  if  it  only  be  for  mutual  comfort 
in  the  general  vacancy.  We  are  born  alone,  we  pass  alone 
into  the  great  darkness.  When  the  curtain  falls  is  the  play 
over  ? or  is  a new  act  to  commence  ? Are  we  to  start  again 


2Y0 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

in  a new  sphere,  carrying  with  us  what  we  have  gained  in 
the  discipline  of  our  earthly  trials  ? Are  we  to  become  again 
as  we  were  before  we  came  into  this  world,  when  eternity  had 
not  yet  splintered  into  time,  or  the  universal  being  dissolved 
into  individual  existences  ? For  myself  I have  long  ceased 
to  speculate  on  these  subjects,  being  convinced  that  they 
have  no  bottom  which  can  be  reasoned  out  by  the  intellect. 
We  are  in  a world  where  much  can  be  learnt  which  affects 
our  own  and  others’  earthly  welfare,  and  we  had  better  leave 
the  rest  alone.  Yet  one  listens  and  cannot  choose  but 
sympathise  when  anxious  souls  open  out  to  you  what  is  going 
on  within  them.  A Spanish  legend,  showing  with  whom 
these  inquiries  began  and  with  what  result,  is  not  without  its 
value. 

Jupiter,  having  made  the  world,  proceeded  to  make  animals 
to  live  in  it.  The  ass  was  the  earliest  created.  He  looked 
about  him.  He  looked  at  himself ; and,  as  the  habit  of 
asses  is,  he  asked  himself  what  it  all  meant  ; what  it  was  to 
be  an  ass,  where  did  he  come  from,  and  what  he  was  for  ? 
Not  being  able  to  discover,  he  applied  to  his  maker.  Jupiter 
told  him  that  he  was  made  to  be  the  slave  of  another  animal 
to  be  called  Man.  He  was  to  carry  men  on  his  back,  drag 
loads  for  them,  and  be  their  drudge.  He  was  to  live  on 
thistles  and  straw,  and  to  be  beaten  continually  with  sticks 
and  ropes’-ends.  The  ass  complained.  He  said  that  he  had 
done  nothing  to  deserve  so  hard  a fate.  He  had  not  asked 
to  be  born,  and  he  would  rather  not  have  been  born.  He  in- 
quired how  long  this  life,  or  whatever  it  was,  had  to  con- 
tinue. Jupiter  said  it  had  to  last  thirty  years.  The  poor  ass 
was  in  consternation.  If  Jupiter  would  reduce  the  thirty  to 
ten  he  undertook  to  be  patient,  to  be  a good  servant,  and 
to  do  his  work  patiently.  Jupiter  reflected  and  consented, 
and  the  ass  retired  grateful  and  happy. 

The  dog,  who  had  been  born  meanwhile,  heard  what  had 


A Spanish  Fable. 


271 


passed.  He,  too,  went  to  Jupiter  with  the  same  question. 
He  learnt  that  he  also  was  a slave  to  men.  In  the  day  he 
was  to  catch  their  game  for  them,  but  was  not  to  eat  it  him- 
self. At  night  he  was  to  be  chained  by  a ring  and  to  lie 
awake  to  guard  then’  houses.  His  food  was  to  be  bones  and 
refuse.  Like  the  ass  he  was  to  have  had  thirty  years  of  it, 
but  on  petition  it  was  similarly  exchanged  for  ten. 

The  monkey  came  next.  His  function,  he  was  told,  was 
to  mimic  humanity,  to  be  led  about  by  a string,  and  grimace 
and  dance  for  men’s  amusement.  He  also  remonstrated  at 
the  length  of  time,  and  obtained  the  same  favour. 

Last  came  the  man  himself.  Conscious  of  boundless  de- 
sires and,  as  he  imagined,  of  boundless  capabilities,  he  did 
not  inquire  what  he  was,  or  what  he  was  to  do.  Those  ques- 
tions had  been  already  answered  by  his  vanity.  He  did  not 
come  to  ask  for  anything,  but  to  thank  Jupiter  for  having 
created  so  glorious  a being  and  to  ascertain  for  how  many 
ages  he  might  expect  to  endure.  The  god  replied  that  thirty 
years  was  the  term  allotted  to  all  personal  existences. 

‘ Only  thirty  years  ! ’ he  exclaimed.  ‘ Only  thirty  years  for 
such  capacities  as  mine.  Thirty  years  will  be  gone  like  a 
dream.  Extend  them  ! oh,  extend  them,  gracious  Jupiter, 
that  I may  have  leisure  to  use  the  intellect  which  thou  hast 
given  me,  search  into  the  secrets  of  nature,  do  great  and 
glorious  actions,  and  serve  and  praise  thee,  O my  creator ! 
longer  and  more  worthily.’ 

The  lip  of  the  god  curled  lightly,  and  again  he  acquiesced. 
‘ I have  some  spare  years  to  dispose  of,’  he  said,  ‘ of  which 
others  of  my  creatures  have  begged  to  be  relieved.  You  shall 
have  thirty  years  of  your  own.  From  thirty  to  fifty  you  shall 
have  the  ass’s  years,  and  labour  and  sweat  for  your  support. 
From  fifty  to  seventy  you  shall  have  the  dog’s  years,  and  take 
care  of  the  stuff,  and  snarl  and  growl  at  what  younger  men 
are  doing.  From  seventy  to  ninety  you  shall  have  the  mon- 


272  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

key’s  years,  and  smirk  and  grin  and  make  yourself  ridiculous. 
After  that  you  may  depart.’ 

I was  going  on  to  Cuba.  The  commodore  had  insisted  on 
my  spending  my  last  days  with  him  at  Port  Royal.  He  un- 
dertook to  see  me  on  board  the  steamer  as  it  passed  out  of 
the  harbour.  I have  already  described  his  quarters.  The 
naval  station  has  no  colonial  character  except  the  climate, 
and  it  is  English  entirely.  The  officers  are  the  servants  of 
the  Admiralty,  not  of  the  colonial  government.  Their  inter- 
ests are  in  their  profession.  They  look  to  promotion  in 
other  parts  of  the  world,  and  their  functions  are  on  the 
ocean  and  not  on  the  land.  The  commodore  is  captain  of 
the  guardship  ; but  he  has  a commander  under  him  and  he 
resides  on  shore.  Everyone  employed  in  the  dockyard,  even 
down  to  his  own  household,  is  rated  on  the  ship’s  books,  con- 
sequently they  are  all  men.  There  is  not  a woman  servant 
about  the  place,  save  his  lady’s  ladies’-maid.  His  daughters 
leam  to  take  care  of  themselves,  and  are  not  brought  up  to 
find  everything  done  for  them.  His  boys  are  about  the 
world  in  active  service  growing  into  useful  and  honourable 
manhood. 

Thus  the  whole  life  tastes  of  the  element  to  which  it  be- 
longs, and  is  salt  and  healthy  as  the  ocean  itself.  It  was  not 
without  its  entertainments.  The  officers  of  the  garrison  were 
to  give  a ball.  The  young  ladies  of  Kingston  are  not  afraid 
of  the  water,  cross  the  harbour  in  the  steam  launches,  dance 
till  the  small  hours,  return  in  the  dark,  drive  their  eight  or 
ten  miles  home,  and  think  nothing  of  it.  In  that  climate, 
night  is  pleasanter  to  be  abroad  in  than  day.  I could  not 
stay  to  be  present,  but  I was  in  the  midst  of  the  preparations, 
and  one  afternoon  there  was  a prospect  of  a brilliant  addition 
to  the  party.  A yacht  steamed  inside  the  Point — long,  nar- 
row, and  swift  as  a torpedo  boat.  She  earned  American 


An  American  Yacht. 


273 


colours,  and  we  beard  that  sbe  was  tbe  famous  vessel  of  tbe 
yet  more  famous  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  who  was  on  board  with  bis 
family.  Here  was  an  excitement ! Tbe  commodore  was  or- 
dered to  call  tbe  instant  that  sbe  was  anchored.  Invitations 
were  prepared — all  was  eagerness.  Alas ! sbe  did  not  anchor 
at  all.  Sbe  learnt  from  tbe  pilot  that,  tbe  smallpox  being  in 
Jamaica,  if  any  of  her  people  landed  there  sbe  would  be 
quarantined  in  tbe  other  islands,  and  to  tbe  disappointment 
of  everyone,  even  of  myself,  who  would  gladly  have  seen  tbe 
great  millionaire,  sbe  turned  about  and  went  off  again  to  sea. 

I was  very  happy  at  tbe  commodore’s — low  spirits  not 
being  allowed  in  that  wholesome  element.  Decks  were 
washed  every  morning  as  if  at  sea,  i.  e.  every  floor  was 
scrubbed  and  scoured.  It  was  an  eternal  washing  day, 
lines  of  linen  flying  in  tbe  brisk  sea  breeze.  Tbe  commo- 
dore was  always  busy  making  work  if  none  bad  been  found 
for  him.  He  took  me  one  day  to  see  tbe  rock  spring  where 
Rodney  watered  bis  fleet,  as  tbe  great  admiral  describes  in 
one  of  bis  letters,  and  from  which  Port  Royal  now  draws  its 
supply.  Tbe  spring  itself  bursts  full  and  clear  out  of  tbe 
limestone  rock  close  to  tbe  shore,  four  or  five  miles  from 
Kingston.  There  is  a natural  basin,  slightly  improved  by 
art,  from  which  tbe  old  conduit  pipes  carry  the  stream  to 
tbe  sea.  Tbe  tug  comes  daily,  fills  its  tanks,  and  returns. 
Tbe  commodore  has  tidied  up  tbe  place,  planted  shrubs, 
and  cleared  away  tbe  bush  ; but  half  tbe  water  at  least,  is 
still  allowed  to  leak  away,  and  turns  tbe  hollow  below  into 
an  unwholesome  swamp.  It  may  be  a necessity,  but  it  is 
also  a misfortune,  that  tbe  officers  at  distant  stations  bold 
their  appointments  for  so  short  a term.  By  tbe  time  that 
they  have  learnt  what  can  or  ought  to  be  done,  they  are  sent 
elsewhere,  and  their  successor  has  to  begin  over  again.  Tbe 
water  in  this  spring,  part  of  which  is  now  worse  than  wasted 
and  tbe  rest  carried  laboriously  in  a vessel  to  Port  Royal  to 
18 


274  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

be  sold  by  measure  to  tbe  people  there,  might  be  all  con- 
ducted thither  by  pipes  at  small  cost  and  trouble,  were  the 
commodore  to  remain  a few  years  longer  at  Port  Royal. 

He  is  his  own  boatman,  and  we  had  some  fine  sails  about 
the  lagoon — the  breeze  always  fresh  and  the  surface  always 
smooth.  The  shallow  bays  swarm  with  small  fish,  and  it  was 
a pretty  thing  to  watch  the  pelicans  devouring  them.  They 
gather  in  flocks,  sweep  and  wheel  in  the  air,  and  when  they 
plunge  they  strike  the  water  with  a violence  which  one  would 
expect  would  break  their  wings.  They  do  not  dive,  but 
seize  their  prey  with  their  long,  broad  bills,  and  seem  never  I 
to  miss. 

Between  the  ships  and  the  barracks,  there  are  many  single 
men  in  Port  Royal,  for  whom  amusement  has  to  be  found  if 
they  are  to  be  kept  from  drink.  A canteen  is  provided  for 
them,  with  bowling  alley,  tennis  court,  beer  in  moderation, 
and  a reading  room,  for  such  as  like  it,  with  reviews  and 
magazines  and  newspapers.  They  can  fish  if  they  want 
sport,  and  there  are  sharks  in  plenty  a cable’s  length  from 
shore  ; but  the  schoolmaster  has  been  abroad,  and  tastes  run 
in  more  refined  directions.  The  blacks  of  Tobago  acted 

‘ The  Merchant  of  Venice  ’ before  Governor  S . The 

ships’  companies  of  the  gunboats  at  Port  Royal  gave  a con- 
cert while  I was  there.  The  officers  took  no  part,  and  left 
the  men  to  manage  it  as  they  pleased.  The  commodore 
brought  his  party ; the  garrison,  the  crews  of  the  other 
ships,  and  stray  visitors  came,  and  the  large  room  at  the  can- 
teen was  completely  full.  The  taste  of  the  audience  was 
curious.  Dibdin  was  off  the  boards  altogether,  and  favour 
was  divided  between  the  London  popular  comic  song  and 
the  sentimental — no  longer  with  any  flavour  of  salt  about  it, 
but  the  sentimental  spoony  and  sickly.  ‘ She  wore  a wreath 
of  roses’  called  out  the  highest  enthusiasm.  One  of  the 
performers  recited  a long  poem  of  his  own  about  Mary 


A Sailors'  Concert. 


275 


Stuart,  ‘ the  lovely  and  unfortunate.’  Then  followed  the 
buffoonery  ; and  this  was  at  least  genuine  rough  and  tumble 
if  there  was  little  wit  in  it.  A lad  capered  about  on  a tour- 
nament horse  which  flung  him  every  other  moment.  Various 
persons  pretended  to  be  drunk,  and  talked  and  staggered  as 
drunken  men  do.  Then  there  was  a farce,  how  conceived 
and  by  what  kind  of  author  I was  puzzled  to  make  out.  A 
connoisseur  of  art  is  looking  for  Greek  antiques.  He  has 
heard  that  a statue  has  recently  been  discovered  of  ‘Ajax 
quarrelling  with  his  mother-in-law.’  What  Ajax  was  quarrel- 
ling about  or  who  his  mother-in-law  might  be  does  not  appear. 
A couple  of  rogues,  each  unknown  to  the  other,  practise  on 
the  connoisseur’s  credulity.  Each  promises  him  the  statue  ; 
each  dresses  up  a confederate  on  a pedestal  with  a modern 
soldier’s  helmet  and  a blanket  to  represent  a Greek  hero. 
The  two  figures  are  shown  to  him.  One  of  them,  I forget 
how,  contrived  to  pass  as  Ajax  ; the  other  had  turned  into 
Hercules  doing  something  to  the  Stymphalides.  At  last  they 
get  tired  of  standing  to  be  looked  at,  jump  down,  and  to- 
gether knock  over  the  connoisseur.  Ajax  then  turns  on 
Hercules,  who,  of  course,  is  ready  for  a row.  They  fight  till 
they  are  tired,  and  then  make  it  up  over  a whisky  bottle. 

So  entirely  new  an  aspect  of  the  British  tar  took  me  by 
surprise,  and  I speculated  whether  the  inventors  and  per- 
formers of  this  astonishing  drama  were  an  advance  on  the 
Ben  Bunting  type.  I was,  of  course,  inclined  to  say  no,  but 
my  tendency  is  to  dislike  changes,  and  I allow  for  it.  The 
commodore  said  that  in  certain  respects  there  really  was  an 
advance.  The  seamen  fell  into  few  scrapes,  and  they  did  not 
get  drunk  so  often.  This  was  a hardy  assertion  of  the  com- 
modore, as  a good  many  of  them  were  drunk  at  that  moment. 
I could  see  myself  that  they  were  better  educated.  If  Ben 
Bunting  had  been  asked  who  Ajax  and  Hercules  were,  he 
would  have  taken  them  to  be  three-deckers  which  were  so 


276  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

named,  and  his  knowledge  would  have  gone  no  farther. 
Whether  they  were  better  sailors  and  braver  and  truer  men 
was  another  question.  They  understand  their  rights  much 
better,  if  that  does  any  good  to  them.  The  officers  used  to 
be  treated  with  respect  at  all  times  and  seasons.  This  is  now 
qualified.  When  they  are  on  duty,  the  men  are  as  respectful 
as  they  used  to  be  ; when  they  are  off  duty,  the  commodore 
himself  is  only  old  H . 

We  returned  to  the  dockyard  in  a boat  under  a full  moon, 
the  guardship  gleaming  white  in  the  blue  midnight  and  the 
phosphorescent  water  flashing  under  the  oars.  The  ‘ Dee,’ 
which  was  to  take  me  to  Havana,  was  off  Port  Royal  on  the 
following  morning.  The  commodore  put  me  on  board  in  his 
gig,  with  the  white  ensign  floating  over  the  stern.  I took 
leave  of  him  with  warm  thanks  for  his  own  and  his  family’s 
hospitable  entertainment  of  me.  The  screw  went  round — we 
steamed  awaj7  out  of  the  harbour,  and  Jamaica  and  the  kind 
friends  whom  I had  found  there  faded  out  of  sight.  Jamaica 
was  the  last  of  the  English  West  India  Islands  which  I visited. 
I was  to  see  it  again,  but  I will  here  set  down  the  impressions 
which  had  been  left  upon  me  by  what  I had  seen  there  and 
seen  in  the  Antilles. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


Present  state  of  Jamaica — Test  of  progress — Resources  of  tlie  island — 
Political  alternatives — Black  supremacy  and  probable  consequences 
— The  West  Indian  problem. 

As  I was  stepping  into  the  boat  at  Port  Royal,  a pamphlet 
was  thrust  into  my  hand,  which  I was  entreated  to  read  at 
my  leisure.  It  was  by  some  discontented  white  of  the  island 
— no  rare  phenomenon,  and  the  subject  of  it  was  the  precipi- 
tate decline  in  the  value  of  property  there.  The  writer,  un- 
like the  planters,  insisted  that  the  people  were  taxed  in  pro- 
portion to  their  industry.  There  were  taxes  on  mules,  on 
carts,  on  donkeys,  all  bearing  on  the  small  black  proprietors, 
whose  ability  to  cultivate  was  thus  checked,  and  who  were 
thus  deliberately  encouraged  in  idleness.  He  might  have 
added,  although  he  did  not,  that  while  both  in  Jamaica  and 
Trinidad  everyone  is  clamouring  against  the  beetroot  bounty 
which  artificially  lowers  the  price  of  sugar,  the  local  councils 
in  these  two  islands  try  to  counteract  the  effect  and  artifici- 
ally raise  the  price  of  sugar  by  an  export  duty  on  their  own 
produce — a singular  method  of  doing  it  which,  I presume, 
admits  of  explanation.  My  pamphleteer  was  persuaded  that 
all  the  world  were  fools,  and  that  he  and  his  friends  were  the 
only  wise  ones  : again  a not  uncommon  occurrence  in  pam- 
phleteers. He  demanded  the  suppression  of  absenteeism  ; he 
demanded  free  trade.  In  exchange  for  the  customs  duties, 
which  were  to  be  abolished,  he  demanded  a land  tax — the 
very  mention  of  which,  I had  been  told  by  others,  drove  the 
black  proprietors  whom  he  wished  to  benefit  into  madness. 


278 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


He  wanted  Home  Kule.  He  wanted  fifty  things  besides 
which  I have  forgotten,  but  his  grand  want  of  all  was  a new 
currency.  Mankind,  he  thought,  had  been  very  mad  at  all 
periods  of  their  history.  The  most  significant  illustration  of 
their  madness  had  been  the  selection  of  gold  and  silver  as  the 
medium  of  exchange.  The  true  base  of  the  currency  was  the 
land.  The  Government  of  Jamaica  was  to  lend  to  every  free- 
holder up  to  the  mortgage  value  of  his  land  in  paper  notes, 
at  5 per  cent,  interest,  the  current  rate  being  at  present  8 
per  cent.  The  notes  so  issued,  having  the  land  as  their  se- 
curity, would  be  in  no  danger  of  depreciation,  and  they  would 
flow  over  the  sugar  estates  like  an  irrigating  stream.  On  the 
produce  of  sugar  the  fate  of  the  island  depended. 

On  the  produce  of  sugar  ? And  why  not  on  the  produce 
of  a fine  race  of  men  ? The  prospects  of  Jamaica,  the  pros- 
pects of  all  countries,  depend  not  on  sugar  or  on  any  form  or 
degree  of  material  wealth,  but  on  the  characters  of  the  men 
and  women  wfliom  they  are  breeding  and  rearing.  Where 
there  are  men  and  women  of  a noble  nature,  the  rest  will  go 
well  of  itself ; where  these  are  not,  there  will  be  no  true 
prosperity  though  the  sugar  hogsheads  be  raised  from  thou- 
sands into  millions.  The  colonies  are  interesting  only  as  of- 
fering homes  where  English  people  can  increase  and  multi- 
ply ; English  of  the  old  type  with  simple  habits,  who  do  not 
need  imported  luxuries.  There  is  room  even  in  the  West 
Indies  for  hundreds  of  thousands  of  them  if  they  can  be  con- 
tented to  lead  human  lives,  and  do  not  go  there  to  make  for- 
tunes which  they  are  to  carry  home  with  them.  The  time  may 
not  be  far  off  when  men  will  be  sick  of  making  fortunes,  sick 
of  being  ground  to  pattern  in  the  commonplace  mill-wTheel  of 
modern  society  ; sick  of  a state  of  things  which  blights  and 
kills  simple  and  original  feeling,  which  makes  us  think  and 
speak  and  act  under  the  tyranny  of  general  opinion,  which 
masquerades  as  liberty  and  means  only  submission  to  the 


Capabilities. 


279 


newspapers.  I can  conceive  some  modern  men  may  weary  of 
all  this,  and  retire  from  it  like  the  old  ascetics,  not  as  they 
did  into  the  wilderness,  but  behind  their  own  walls  and 
hedges,  shutting  out  the  world  and  its  noises,  to  inquire 
whether  after  all  they  have  really  immortal  souls,  and  if  they 
have  what  ought  to  be  done  about  them.  The  West  India 
Islands,  with  their  inimitable  climate  and  soil  and  prickly 
pears  ad  libitum  to  make  fences  with,  would  be  line  places  for 
such  recluses.  Failing  these  ideal  personages,  there  is  work 
enough  of  the  common  sort  to  create  wholesome  prosperity. 
There  are  oranges  to  be  grown,  and  pines  and  plantains,  and 
coffee  and  cocoa,  and  rice  and  indigo  and  tobacco,  not  to 
speak  of  the  dollars  which  my  American  friend  found  in  the 
bamboos,  and  of  the  further  dollars  which  other  Americans 
will  find  in  the  yet  untested  qualities  of  thousands  of  other 
productions.  Here  are  opportunities  for  innocent  industri- 
ous families,  where  children  can  be  brought  up  to  be  manly 
and  simple  and  true  and  brave  as  their  fathers  were  brought 
up,  as  their  fathers  expressed  it  ‘ in  the  nurture  and  admoni- 
tion of  the  Lord,’  while  such  neighbours  as  their  dark  broth- 
ers-in-law might  have  a chance  of  a rise  in  life,  in  the  only 
sense  in  which  a ‘ rise  ’ can  be  of  real  benefit  to  them.  These 
are  the  objects  which  statesmen  who  have  the  care  and  con- 
duct of  a nation’s  welfare  ought  to  set  before  themselves,  and 
unfortunately  they  are  the  last  which  are  remembered  in  coun- 
tries which  are  popularly  governed.  There  is  a clamour  for 
education  in  such  countries,  but  education  means  to  them 
only  the  sharpening  of  the  faculties  for  the  competitive  race 
which  is  called  progress.  In  democracies  no  one  man  is  his 
brother’s  keeper.  Each  lives  and  struggles  to  make  his  own 
way  and  his  own  position.  All  that  is  insisted  on  is  that 
there  shall  be  a fair  stage  and  that  every  lad  shall  learn  the 
use  of  the  weapons  which  will  enable  him  to  fight  his  own 
way.  ’A perr/,  ‘ manliness,’  the  most  essential  of  all  acquisitions 


280 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


and  the  hardest  to  cultivate,  as  Aristotle  observed  long  ago,  is 
assumed  in  democracies  as  a matter  of  course.  Of  aperf  a mod- 
erate quantity  ( o-n-ocrovow ) would  do,  and  in  Aristotle’s  opinion 
this  was  the  rock  on  which  the  Greek  republics  foundered. 
Their  apc-nj  did  not  come  as  a matter  of  coui’se,  and  they  lost 
it,  and  the  Macedonians  and  the  Romans  ate  them  up. 

From  this  point  of  view  political  problems,  and  the  West 
Indian  among  them,  present  unusual  aspects.  Looking  to 
the  West  Indies  only,  we  took  possession  of  those  islands 
when  they  were  of  supreme  importance  in  our  great  wrestle 
with  Spain  and  France.  We  were  fighting  then  for  the  liber- 
ties of  the  human  race.  The  Spaniards  had  destroyed  the 
original  Carib  and  Indian  inhabitants.  We  induced  thou- 
sands of  our  own  fellow-countrymen  to  venture  life  and  for- 
tune in  the  occupation  of  our  then  vital  conquests.  For  two 
centuries  we  furnished  them  with  black  seiwants  whom  we 
purchased  on  the  African  coast  and  carried  over  and  sold 
there,  making  our  own  profits  out  of  the  trade,  and  the  colo- 
nists prospered  themselves  and  poured  wealth  and  strength 
into  the  empire  of  which  they  wei*e  then  an  integral  part.  A 
change  passed  over  the  spirit  of  the  age.  Liberty  assumed  a 
new  dress.  We  found  slavery  to  be  a crime  ; we  released  our 
bondmen ; we  broke  their  chains  as  we  proudly  described  it  to 
ourselves  ; we  compensated  the  owners,  so  far  as  money  could 
compensate,  for  the  entire  dislocation  of  a state  of  society 
which  we  had  ourselves  created ; and  we  trusted  to  the  en- 
chantment of  liberty  to  create  a better  in  its  place.  We  had 
delivered  our  own  souls  ; wTe  had  other  colonies  to  take  our 
emigrants.  Other  lands  under  our  open  trade  would  supply 
us  with  the  commodities  for  which  we  had  hitherto  been  de- 
pendent on  the  West  Indies.  They  ceased  to  be  of  commer- 
cial, they  ceased  to  be  of  political,  moment  to  us,  and  we  left 
them  to  their  own  resources.  The  modern  English  idea  is 
that  every  one  must  take  care  of  himself.  Individuals  or  ag- 


Theory  of  Colonial  Management.  281 

gregates  of  individuals  have  the  world  before  them,  to  open 
the  oyster  or  fail  to  open  it  according  to  their  capabilities. 
The  State  is  not  to  help  them  ; the  State  is  not  to  interfere 
with  them  unless  for  political  or  party  reasons  it  happens  to 
be  convenient.  As  we  treat  ourselves  we  treat  our  colonies. 
Those  who  have  gone  thither  have  gone  of  their  own  free  will, 
and  must  take  the  consequences  of  their  own  actions.  We 
allow  them  no  exceptional  privileges  which  we  do  not  claim 
for  ourselves.  They  must  stand,  if  they  are  to  stand,  by 
their  own  strength.  If  they  cannot  stand  they  must  fall. 
This  is  our  notion  of  education  in  ‘manliness,’  and  for  imme- 
diate purposes  answers  well  enough.  Individual  enterprise, 
unendowed  but  unfettered,  built  the  main  buttresses  of  the 
British  colonial  empire.  Australians  and  New  Zealanders 
are  English  and  Scotchmen  who  have  settled  at  the  antipodes 
where  there  is  more  room  for  them  than  at  home.  They  are 
the  same  people  as  we  are,  and  they  have  the  same  privi- 
leges as  we  have.  They  are  parts  of  one  and  the  same  organic 
body  as  bi'anches  from  the  original  trunk.  The  branch  does 
not  part  from  the  trunk,  but  it  discharges  its  own  vital  func- 
tions by  its  own  energy,  and  we  no  more  desire  to  interfere 
than  London  desires  to  interfere  with  Manchester. 

So  it  stands  with  us  where  the  colonists  are  of  our  race, 
with  the  same  character  and  the  same  objects  ; and,  as  I said, 
the  system  answers.  Under  no  other  relations  could  we  con- 
tinue a united  people.  But  it  does  not  answer — it  has  failed 
wherever  we  have  tried  it — when  the  majority  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  countries  of  which  for  one  or  other  reason  we  have 
possessed  ourselves,  and  of  which  we  keep  possession,  are  not 
united  to  us  by  any  of  these  natural  bonds,  where  they  have 
been  annexed  by  violence  or  otherwise  been  forced  under 
our  flag.  It  has  failed  conspicuously  in  Ireland.  We  know 
that  it  would  fail  in  the  East  Indies  if  we  were  rash  enough 
to  venture  the  experiment.  Self-government  in  connection 


282  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

with  the  British  Empire  implies  a desire  or  a willingness  in 
those  who  are  so  left  to  themselves  that  the  connection  shall 
continue.  We  have  been  so  sanguine  as  to  believe  that  the 
privilege  of  being  British  subjects  is  itself  sufficient  to  secure 
then'  allegiance  ; that  the  liberties  which  we  concede  will  not 
be  used  for  purposes  which  we  are  unable  to  tolerate  ; that, 
being  left  to  govern  themselves,  they  will  govern  in  harmony 
with  English  interests  and  according  to  English  principles. 
The  privilege  is  not  estimated  so  highly.  They  go  their  own 
way  and  not  our  way,  and  therefore  we  must  look  facts  in  the 
face  as  they  are,  and  not  as  we  wish  them  to  be.  If  we  ex- 
tend to  Ireland  the  independence  which  only  links  us  closer 
to  Australia,  Ireland  will  use  it  to  break  away  from  us.  If 
we  extend  it  to  Bengal  and  Madras  and  Bombay,  we  shall 
fling  them  into  anarchy  and  bring  our  empire  to  an  end.  We 
cannot  for  our  safety’s  sake  part  with  Ireland.  We  do  not 
mean  to  part  with  our  Asiatic  dominions.  The  reality  of  the 
relation  in  both  cases  is  the  superior  force  of  England,  and 
we  must  rely  upon  it  and  need  not  try  to  conceal  that  we  do, 
till  by  the  excellence  of  our  administration  we  have  converted 
submission  into  respect  and  respect  into  willingness  for  union. 
This  may  be  a long  process  and  a difficult  .one.  If  we  choose 
to  maintain  our  empire,  however,  we  must  pay  the  price  for 
it,  and  it  is  wiser,  better,  safer,  in  all  cases  to  admit  the 
truth  and  act  upon  it.  Yet  Englishmen  so  love  liberty  that 
they  struggle  against  confessing  what  is  disagreeable  to 
them.  Many  of  us  would  give  Ireland,  would  give  India 
Home  Rule,  and  run  the  risk  of  what  would  happen,  and 
only  a probability,  which  reaches  certainty,  of  the  conse- 
quences to  be  expected  to  follow  prevents  us  from  unani- 
mously agreeing.  About  the  West  Indies  we  do  not  care 
very  earnestly.  Nothing  seriously  alarming  can  happen 
there.  So  much,  therefore,  of  the  general  policy  of  leaving 
them  to  help  themselves  out  of  their  difficulties  we  have 


The  West  Indian  Problem. 


283 


adopted  completely.  The  corollary  that  they  must  govern 
themselves  also  on  their  own  responsibilities  we  hesitate  as 
yet  to  admit  completely  ; but  we  do  not  recognise  that  any 
responsibility  for  their  failing  condition  rests  on  us  ; and  the 
inclination  certainly,  and  perhaps  the  purpose,  is  to  throw 
them  entirely  upon  themselves  at  the  earliest  moment.  Cuba 
sends  representatives  to  the  Cortes  at  Madrid,  Martinique 
and  Guadaloupe  to  the  Assembly  at  Paris.  In  the  English 
islands,  being  unwilling  to  govern  without  some  semblance 
of  a constitution,  we  try  tentatively  varieties  of  local  boards 
and  local  councils,  admitting  the  elective  principle  but  not 
daring  to  trust  it  fully ; creating  hybrid  constitutions,  so 
contrived  as  to  provoke  ill  feeling  where  none  would  exist 
without  them,  and  to  make  impossible  any  tolerable  govern- 
ment which  could  actively  benefit  the  people.  We  cannot 
intend  that  arrangements  the  effects  of  which  are  visible  so 
plainly  in  the  sinking  fortunes  of  our  own  kindred  there,  are 
to  continue  for  ever.  We  suppose  that  we  cannot  go  back  in 
these  cases.  It  is  to  be  presumed,  therefore,  that  we  mean 
to  go  forward,  and  in  doing  so  I venture  to  think  myself  that 
we  shall  be  doing  equal  injustice  both  to  our  own  race  and  to 
the  blacks,  and  we  shall  bring  the  islands  into  a condition 
which  will  be  a reproach  and  scandal  to  the  empire  of  which 
they  will  remain  a dishonoured  part.  The  slave  trade  was 
an  imperial  monopoly,  extorted  by  force,  guaranteed  by 
treaties,  and  our  white  West  Indian  interest  was  built  up  in 
connection  with  and  in  reliance  upon  it.  We  had  a right  to 
set  the  slaves  free  ; but  the  payment  of  the  indemnity  was 
no  full  acquittance  of  our  obligations  for  the  condition  of  a 
society  which  we  had  ourselves  created.  We  have  no  more 
right  to  make  the  emancipated  slave  his  master’s  master  in 
virtue  of  his  numbers  than  we  have  a right  to  lay  under  the 
heel  of  the  Catholics  of  Ireland  the  Protestant  minority  whom 
we  planted  there  to  assist  us  in  controlling  them. 


284;  The  English  in  the  7 Vest  Indies. 

It  may  be  said  that  we  have  no  intention  of  doing  anything 
of  the  kind,  that  no  one  at  present  dreams  of  giving  a full 
colonial  constitution  to  the  West  Indian  Islands.  They  are  al- 
lowed such  freedom  as  they  are  capable  of  using ; they  can 
be  allowed  more  as  they  are  better  educated  and  more  fit  for 
it,  &c. , &c. 

One  knows  all  that,  and  one  knows  what  it  is  worth  in  the 
half-elected,  half-nominated  councils.  Either  the  nominated 
members  are  introduced  merely  as  a drag  upon  the  wheel, 
and  are  instructed  to  yield  in  the  end  to  the  demands  of  the 
representative  members,  or  they  are  themselves  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  white  minority.  If  the  first,  the  majority 
rule  already  ; if  the  second,  such  constitutions  are  contrived 
ingeniously  to  create  the  largest  amount  of  irritation,  and  to 
make  impossible,  as  long  as  they  last,  any  form  of  effective 
and  useful  government.  Therefore  they  cannot  last,  and  are 
not  meant  to  last.  A principle  once  conceded  develops  with 
the  same  certainty  with  which  a seed  grows  when  it  is  sown. 
In  the  English  world,  as  it  now  stands,  there  is  no  middle  al- 
ternative between  self-government  and  government  by  the 
Crown,  and  the  cause  of  our  reluctance  to  undertake  direct 
charge  of  the  West  Indies  is  because  such  undertaking  carries 
responsibility  along  with  it.  If  they  are  brought  so  close  to 
us  we  shall  be  obliged  to  exert  ourselves,  and  to  rescue  them 
from  a condition  which  would  be  a reproach  to  us. 

The  English  of  those  islands  are  melting  away.  That  is  a 
fact  to  which  it  is  idle  to  try  to  shut  our  eyes.  Families  who 
have  been  for  generations  on  the  soil  are  selling  their  estates 
everywhere  and  are  going  off.  Lands  once  under  high  culti- 
vation are  lapsing  into  jungle.  Professional  men  of  ability 
and  ambition  carry  their  talents  to  countries  where  they  are 
more  sure  of  reward.  Every  year  the  census  renews  its  warn- 
ing. The  rate  may  vary ; sometimes  for  a year  or  two 
there  may  seem  to  be  a pause  in  the  movement,  but  it  begins 


The  West  Indian  Problem. 


285 


again  and  is  always  in  the  same  direction.  The  white  is  rela- 
tively disappearing,  the  black  is  growing  ; this  is  the  fact  with 
which  we  have  to  deal. 

We  may  say  if  we  please,  ‘ Be  it  so  then  ; we  do  not  want 
those  islands ; let  the  blacks  have  them,  poor  devils.  They 
have  had  wrongs  enough  in  this  world  ; let  them  take  their 
turn  and  have  a good  time  now.’  This  I imagine  is  the  an- 
swer which  will  rise  to  the  lips  of  most  of  us,  yet  it  will  be  an 
answer  which  will  not  be  for  our  honour,  nor  in  the  long  run 
for  our  interest.  Our  stronger  colonies  will  scarcely  attach 
more  value  to  their  connection  with  us  if  they  hear  us  declare 
impatiently  that  because  part  of  our  possessions  have  ceased  to 
be  of  money  value  to  us,  we  will  not  or  we  cannot  take  the  trou- 
ble to  provide  them  with  a decent  government,  and  therefore 
cast  them  off.  Nor  in  the  long  run  will  it  benefit  the  blacks 
either.  The  islands  will  not  be  allowed  to  run  wild  again, 
and  if  we  leave  them  some  one  else  will  take  them  who  will 
be  less  tender  of  his  coloured  brother’s  sensibilities.  We  may 
think  that  it  would  not  come  to  that.  The  islands  will  still 
be  ours  ; the  English  flag  will  still  float  over  the  forts  ; the 
government,  whatever  it  be,  will  be  administered  in  the  Queen’s 
name.  Were  it  worth  while,  one  might  draw  a picture  of  the 
position  of  an  English  governor,  with  a black  parliament  and 
a black  ministry,  recommending  by  advice  of  his  constitu- 
tional ministers  some  measure  like  the  Haytian  Land  Law. 

No  Englishman,  not  even  a bankrupt  peer,  would  consent 
to  occupy  such  a position  ; the  blacks  themselves  would  de- 
spise him  if  he  did  ; and  if  the  governor  is  to  be  one  of  their 
own  race  and  colour,  how  long  could  such  a connection  en- 
dure? 

No  one  I presume  would  advise  that  the  whites  of  the  island 
should  govern.  The  relations  between  the  two  populations 
are  too  embittered,  and  equality  once  established  by  law,  the 
exclusive  privilege  of  colour  over  colour  cannot  be  restored. 


286  The  English  in  the  T Vest  Indies. 

While  slavery  continued  the  whites  ruled  effectively  and  eco- 
nomically ; the  blacks  are  now  free  as  they  ; there  are  two 
classes  in  the  community  ; their  interests  are  opposite  as  they 
are  now  understood,  and  one  cannot  be  trusted  with  control 
over  the  other.  As  little  can  the  present  order  of  things  con- 
tinue. The  West  India  Islands,  once  the  pride  of  our  empire, 
the  scene  of  our  most  brilliant  achievements,  are  passing  away 
out  of  our  hands ; the  remnant  of  our  own  countrymen, 
weary  of  an  unavailing  struggle,  are  more  and  more  eager  to 
withdraw  from  it,  because  they  find  no  sympathy  and  no  en- 
couragement from  home,  and  are  forbidden  to  accept  help 
from  America  when  help  is  offered  them,  while  under  their 
eyes  their  quondam  slaves  are  multiplying,  thriving,  occupy- 
ing, growing  strong,  and  every  day  more  conscious  of  the 
changed  order  of  things.  One  does  not  grudge  the  black  man 
his  prosperity,  his  freedom,  his  opportunities  of  advancing 
himself ; one  would  wish  to  see  him  as  free  and  prosperous 
as  the  fates  and  his  own  exertions  can  make  him,  with  more 
and  more  means  of  raising  himself  to  the  white  man’s  level. 
But  left  to  himself,  and  without  the  white  man  to  lead  him, 
he  can  never  reach  it,  and  if  we  are  not  to  lose  the  islands  al- 
together, or  if  they  are  not  to  remain  with  us  to  discredit  our 
capacity  to  rule  them,  it  is  left  to  us  only  to  take  the  same 
course  which  we  have  taken  in  the  East  Indies  with  such  mag- 
nificent success,  and  to  govern  whites  and  blacks  alike  on  the 
Indian  system.  The  circumstances  are  precisely  analogous. 
We  have  a population  to  deal  with,  the  enormous  majority  of 
whom  are  of  an  inferior  race.  Inferior,  I am  obliged  to  call 
them,  because  as  yet,  and  as  a body,  they  have  shown  no 
capacity  to  rise  above  the  condition  of  their  ancestors  ex- 
cept under  European  laws,  European  education,  and  Euro- 
pean authority,  to  keep  them  from  making  war  on  one  an- 
other. They  are  docile,  good-tempered,  excellent  and  faith- 
ful servants  when  they  are  kindly  treated  ; but  their  notions 


The  Indian  Analogy. 


287 


of  right  and  wrong  are  scarcely  even  elementary ; their  edu- 
cation, such  as  it  may  be,  is  but  skin  deep,  and  the  old  Afri- 
can superstitions  lie  undisturbed  at  the  bottom  of  their  souls. 
Give  them  independence,  and  in  a few  generations  they  will 
peel  off  such  civilisation  as  they  have  learnt  as  easily  and  as 
willingly  as  their  coats  and  trousers. 

Govern  them  as  we  govern  India,  with  the  same  conscien- 
tious care,  with  the  same  sense  of  responsibility,  with  the 
same  impartiality,  the  same  disinterested  attention  to  the 
well-being  of  our  subjects  in  its  highest  and  most  honourable 
sense,  and  we  shall  give  the  world  one  more  evidence  that 
while  Englishmen  can  cover  the  waste  places  of  it  with  free 
communities  of  their  own  blood,  they  can  exert  an  influence 
no  less  beneficent  as  the  guides  and  rulers  of  those  who  need 
their  assistance,  and  whom  fate  and  circumstances  have  as- 
signed to  their  care.  Our  kindred  far  away  will  be  more 
than  ever  proud  to  form  part  of  a nation  which  has  done 
more  for  freedom  than  any  other  nation  ever  did,  yet  is  not  a 
slave  to  formulas,  and  can  adapt  its  actions  to  the  demands 
of  each  community  which  belongs  to  it.  The  most  timid 
among  us  may  take  courage,  for  it  would  cost  us  nothing 
save  the  sacrifice  of  a few  official  traditions,  and  an  abstinence 
for  the  future  from  doubtful  uses  of  colonial  patronage.  The 
blacks  will  be  perfectly  happy  when  they  are  satisfied  that 
they  have  nothing  to  fear  for  their  persons  or  their  proper- 
ties. To  the  whites  it  would  be  the  opening  of  a new  era  of 
hope.  Should  they  be  rash  enough  to  murmur,  they  might 
then  be  justly  left  to  the  consequences  of  their  own  folly. 


CHAPTER  XYnt 


Passage  to  Cuba — A Canadian  commissioner — Havana — The  Moro — The 
city  and  harbour — Cuban  money — American  visitors — The  Cathedral 
— Tomb  of  Columbus — New  friends — The  late  rebellion  — Slave 
emancipation — Spain  and  progress — A bull  fight. 

I had  gone  to  the  West  Indies  to  see  our  own  colonies,  hut  I 
could  not  leave  those  famous  seas  which  were  the  scene  of 
our  ocean  duels  with  the  Spaniards  without  a visit  to  the  last 
of  the  great  possessions  of  Philip  H.  which  remained  to  his 
successors.  I ought  not  to  say  the  last,  for  Puerto  Rico  is 
Spanish  also,  but  this  small  island  is  insignificant  and  has  no 
important  memories  connected  with  it.  Puerto  Rico  I had 
no  leisure  to  look  at  and  did  not  care  about,  and  to  see  Cuba 
as  it  ought  to  be  seen  required  more  time  than  I could  afford  ; 
but  Havana  was  so  interesting,  both  from  its  associations  and 
its  present  condition,  that  I could  not  be  within  reach  of  it 
and  pass  it  by.  The  body  of  Columbus  lies  there  for  one  thing, 
unless  a trick  was  played  when  the  remains  which  were  said 
to  be  his  were  removed  from  St.  Domingo,  and  I wished  to 
pay  my  orisons  at  his  tomb.  I wished  also  to  see  the  race  of 
men  who  have  shared  the  New  World  with  the  Anglo-Saxons, 
and  have  given  a language  and  a religion  to  half  the  Ameri- 
can continent,  in  the  oldest  and  most  celebrated  of  their 
Transatlantic  cities. 

Cuba  also  had  an  immediate  and  present  interest.  Before 
the  American  civil  war  it  was  on  the  point  of  being  absorbed 
into  the  United  States.  The  Spanish  Cubans  had  afterwards 
a civil  war  of  their  own,  of  which  only  confused  accounts  had 


289 


The  Spaniards  in  America. 

reached  us  at  home.  We  knew  that  it  had  lasted  ten  years, 
but  who  had  been  the  parties  and  what  their  objects  had  been 
was  very  much  a mystery.  No  sooner  was  it  over  than,  with- 
out reservation  or  compensation,  the  slaves  had  been  emanci- 
pated. How  a country  was  prospering  which  had  undergone 
such  a succession  of  shocks,  and  how  the  Spaniards  were 
dealing  with  the  trials  which  were  bearing  so  hard  on  our 
own  islands,  were  inquiries  worth  making.  But  beyond  these 
it  was  the  land  of  romance.  Columbus  and  Las  Casas,  Cor- 
tez and  Pizarro,  are  the  demigods  and  heroes  of  the  New 
World.  Their  names  will  be  familiar  to  the  end  of  time  as 
the  founders  of  a new  era,  and  although  the  modern  Span- 
iards sink  to  the  level  of  the  modern  Greeks,  their  illustrious 
men  will  hold  their  place  for  ever  in  imagination  and  mem- 
ory. 

Our  own  Antilles  had,  as  I have  said,  in  their  terror  of 
smallpox,  placed  Jamaica  under  an  interdict.  The  Spaniards 
at  Cuba  were  more  generous  or  more  careless.  Havana  is  on 
the  north  side  of  the  island,  facing  towards  Florida  ; thus, 
in  going  to  it  from  Port  Royal,  we  had  to  round  the  western- 
most cape,  and  had  four  days  of  sea  before  us.  We  slid 
along  the  coast  of  Jamaica  in  smooth  water,  the  air,  while 
day  lasted,  intensely  hot,  but  the  breeze  after  nightfall  blow- 
ing cool  from  off  the  mountains.  We  had  a polite  captain, 
polite  officers,  and  agreeable  fellow-passengers,  two  or  three 
Cubans  among  them,  swarthy,  dark-eyed,  thick-set  men — 
Americanos ; Spaniards  with  a difference — with  whom  I culti- 
vated a kind  of  intimacy.  In  a cabin  it  was  reported  that 
there  were  again  Spanish  ladies  on  their  way  to  the  demonic 
gaieties  at  Darien,  but  they  did  not  show. 

Among  the  rest  of  the  party  was  a Canadian  gentleman, 

a Mr. , exceptionally  well-informed  and  intelligent.  Their 

American  treaty  having  been  disallowed,  the  West  Indies  had 
proposed  to  negotiate  a similar  one  with  the  Canadian  Do- 
19 


290 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


minion.  The  authorities  at  Ottawa  had  sent  Mr.  M to  see 

if  anything  could  be  done,  and  Mr.  M was  now  on  his 

way  home,  not  in  the  best  of  humours  with  our  poor  relations. 
‘ The  Jamaicans  did  not  know  what  they  wanted,’  he  said. 
‘ They  were  without  spirit  to  help  themselves  ; they  cried  out 
to  others  to  help  them,  and  if  all  they  asked  could  not  be 
granted  they  clamoured  as  if  the  whole  world  was  combining 
to  hurt  them.  There  was  not  the  least  occasion  for  these  pas- 
sionate appeals  to  the  universe  ; they  could  not  at  this  moment 
perhaps  “ go  ahead  ” as  fast  as  some  countries,  but  there  was 
no  necessity  to  be  always  going  ahead.  They  had  a fine  coun- 
try, soil  and  climate  all  that  could  be  desired,  they  had  all 
that  was  required  for  a quiet  and  easy  life,  why  could  they 
not  be  contented  and  make  the  best  of  things  ? ’ Unfortunate 
Jamaicans  ! The  old  mother, at  home  acts  like  an  unnatural 
parent,  and  will  neither  help  them  nor  let  their  Cousin  Jona- 
than help  them.  They  turn  for  comfort  to  their  big  brother 
in  the  north,  and  the  big  brother  being  himself  robust  and 
healthy,  gives  them  wholesome  advice. 

Adventures  do  occasionally  happen  at  sea  even  in  this  age 
of  steam  engines.  Ships  catch  fire  or  run  into  each  other,  or 
go  on  rocks  in  fogs,  or  are  caught  in  hurricanes,  and  Nature 
can  still  assume  her  old  terrors  if  she  pleases.  Shelley  de- 
scribes a wreck  on  the  coast  of  Cornwall,  and  the  treacherous 
waters  of  the  ocean  in  the  English  Channel,  now  wild  in  fury, 
now  smiling 

As  on  tlie  morn 

When  the  exulting  elements  in  scorn 
Satiated  with  destroyed  destruction  lay 
Sleeping  in  beauty  on  their  mangled  prey, 

As  panthers  sleep. 

The  wildest  gale  which  ever  blew  on  British  shores  was  a 
mere  summer  breeze  compared  to  a West  Indian  tornado. 
Behind  all  that  beauty  there  lies  the  temper  and  caprice, 


Havana. 


291 


not  of  a panther,  but  of  a woman.  But  no  tornados  fell  in 
our  way,  nor  anything  else  worth  mentioning,  not  even  a 
buccaneer  or  a pirate.  We  saw  the  islands  which  these  gen- 
try haunted,  and  the  headlands  made  memorable  by  their 
desperate  deeds,  but  they  are  gone,  even  to  the  remembrance 
of  them.  What  they  were  and  what  they  did  lies  buried 
away  in  book  mausoleums  like  Egyptian  mummies,  all  as 
clean  forgotten  as  if  they  had  been  honest  men,  they  and  all 
the  wild  scenes  which  these  green  estuaries  had  witnessed. 

Havana  figures  much  in  English  naval  history.  Drake 
tried  to  take  it  and  failed  ; Penn  and  Venables  failed.  We 
stormed  the  forts  in  17G0,  and  held  them  and  held  the  city 
till  the  Seven  Years’  War  was  over.  I had  read  descriptions 
of  the  place,  but  they  had  given  me  no  clear  conception  of 
what  it  would  be  like,  certainly  none  at  all  of  what  it  was 
like.  Kingston  is  the  best  of  our  West  Indian  towns,  and 
Kingston  has  not  one  fine  building  in  it.  Havana  is  a city  of 
palaces,  a city  of  streets  and  plazas,  of  colonnades,  and  towers 
and  churches  and  monasteries.  We  English  have  built  in 
those  islands  as  if  we  were  but  passing  visitors,  wanting  only 
tenements  to  be  occupied  for  a time.  The  Spaniards  built  as 
they  built  in  Castile  ; built  with  the  same  material,  the  white 
limestone  which  they  found  in  the  New  World  as  in  the  Old. 
The  palaces  of  the  nobles  in  Havana,  the  residence  of  the  gov- 
ernor, the  convents,  the  cathedral,  are  a reproduction  of 
Burgos  or  Valladolid,  as  if  by  some  Aladdin’s  lamp  a Castil- 
ian city  had  been  taken  up  and  set  down  again  unaltered  on 
the  shore  of  the  Caribbean  Sea.  And  they  carried  with  them 
their  laws,  their  habits,  their  institutions  and  their  creed, 
their  religious  orders,  their  bishops,  and  their  Inquisition. 
Even  now  in  her  day  of  eclipse,  when  her  genius  is  clouded 
by  the  modern  spirit  against  which  she  fought  so  long  and 
so  desperately,  the  sons  of  Spain  still  build  as  they  used  to 
build,  and  the  modern  squares  and  market  places,  the  castles 


292 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

and  fortresses,  winch,  have  risen  in  and  round  the  ancient 
Havana,  are  constructed  on  the  old  massive  model,  and  on 
the  same  lines.  However  it  may  be  w7ith  us,  and  whatever 
the  eventual  fate  of  Cuba,  the  Spanish  race  has  taken  root 
there,  and  is  visibly  destined  to  remain.  They  have  poured 
their  own  people  into  it.  In  Cuba  alone  there  are  ten  times 
as  many  Spaniards  as  there  are  English  and  Scotch  in  all  our 
West  Indies  together,  and  Havana  is  ten  times  the  size  of  the 
largest  of  our  West  Indian  cities.  Refugees  have  flocked 
thither  from  the  revolution  in  the  Peninsula.  The  Canary 
Islands  overflow  into  it.  You  know  the  people  from  Teneriffe 
by  their  stature  ; they  are  the  finest  surviving  specimens  of 
the  old  conquering  breed.  The  political  future  is  dark  ; the 
government  is  unimaginably  corrupt — so  corrupt  that  change 
is  inevitable,  though  what  change  it  would  be  idle  to  proph- 
esy. The  Americans  looked  at  the  island  which  lay  so  tempt- 
ingly near  them,  but  they  were  wise  in  their  generation. 
They  reflected  that  to  introduce  into  an  Anglo-Saxon  repub- 
lic so  insoluble  an  element  as  a million  Spanish  Roman 
Catholics  alien  in  blood  and  creed,  with  half  a million  blacks 
to  swell  the  dusky  flood  which  runs  too  full  among  them 
already,  would  be  to  invite  an  indigestion  of  serious  conse- 
quence. A few  years  since  the  Cubans  born  were  on  the  eve 
of  achieving  their  independence  like  their  brothers  in  Mexico 
and  South  America.  Perhaps  they  will  yet  succeed.  Span- 
ish, at  any  rate,  they  are  to  the  bone  and  marrow,  and  Span- 
ish they  will  continue.  The  magnitude  of  Havana,  and  the 
fullness  of  life  which  was  going  on  there,  entirely  surprised 
me.  I had  thought  of  Cuba  as  a decrepit  state,  bankrupt  or 
finance  exhausted  by  civil  wars,  and  on  the  edge  of  social 
dissolution,  and  I found  Havana  at  least  a grand  imposing 
city — a city  which  might  compare  for  beauty  with  any  in  the 
world.  The  sanitary  condition  is  as  bad  as  negligence  can 
make  it — so  bad  that  a Spanish  gentleman  told  me  that  if  it 


The  Mow. 


293 


were  not  for  the  natural  purity  of  the  air  they  would  have 
been  all  dead  like  flies  long  ago.  The  tideless  harbour  is 
foul  with  the  accumulations  of  three  hundred  years.  The 
administration  is  more  good-for-nothing  than  in  Spain  itself. 
If,  in  spite  of  this,  Havana  still  sits  like  a queen  upon  the 
waters,  there  are  some  qualities  to  be  found  among  her  peo- 
ple which  belonged  to  the  countrymen  and  subjects  of  Fer- 
dinand the  Catholic. 

The  coast  line  from  Cape  Tiburon  has  none  of  the  grand 
aspects  of  the  Antilles  or  Jamaica.  Instead  of  mountains 
and  forests  you  see  a series  of  undulating  hills,  cultivated 
with  tolerable  care,  and  sprinkled  with  farm-houses.  All  the 
more  imposing,  therefore,  from  the  absence  of  marked  nat- 
ural forms,  are  the  walls  and  towers  of  the  great  Moro,  the 
fortress  which  defends  the  entrance  of  the  harbour.  Ten 
miles  off  it  was  already  a striking  object.  As  we  ran  nearer 
it  rose  above  us  stern,  proud,  and  defiant,  upon  a rock  right 
above  the  water,  with  high  frowning  bastions,  the  lighthouse 
at  an  angle  of  it,  and  the  Spanish  banner  floating  proudly 
from  a turret  which  overlooked  the  whole.  The  Moro  as  a 
fortification  is,  I am  told,  indefensible  against  modern  artil- 
lery, presenting  too  much  surface  as  a target ; but  it  is  all 
the  grander  to  look  at.  It  is  a fine  specimen  of  the  Vauban 
period,  and  is  probably  equal  to  any  demands  which  will  be 
made  upon  it.  The  harbour  is  something  like  Port  Royal,  a 
deep  lagoon  with  a narrow  entrance  and  a long  natural  break- 
water between  the  lagoon  and  the  ocean  ; but  what  at  Port 
Royal  is  a sand  spit  eight  miles  long,  is  at  Havana  a rocky 
peninsula  on  which  the  city  itself  is  built.  The  opening  from 
the  sea  is  half  a mile  wide.  On  the  city  side  there  are  low 
semicircular  batteries  which  sweep  completely  the  approaches 
and  the  passage  itself.  The  Moro  rises  opposite  at  the  ex- 
treme point  of  the  entrance,  and  next  to  it,  farther  in  towards 
the  harbour  on  the  same  side,  on  the  crest  and  slopes  of  a 


294 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

range  of  bills,  stands  tlie  old  Moro,  the  original  castle  which 
beat  off  Drake  and  Oliver’s  sea-generals,  and  which  was  capt- 
ured by  the  English  in  the  last  century.  The  lines  were 
probably  weaker  than  they  are  at  present,  and  less  adequately 
manned.  A monument  is  erected  there  to  the  officers  and 
men  who  fell  in  the  defence. 

The  city  as  we  steamed  by  looked  singularly  beautiful,  with 
its  domes  and  steeples  and  marble  palaces,  and  glimpses  of 
long  boulevards  and  trees  and  handsome  mansions  and  cool 
arcades.  Inside  we  found  ourselves  in  a basin,  perhaps  of 
three  miles  diameter,  full  of  shipping  of  all  sorts  and  nation- 
alities. The  water,  which  outside  is  pure  as  sapphire,  has 
become  filthy  with  the  pollutions  of  a dozen  generations. 
The  tide,  which  even  at  the  springs  has  but  a rise  and  fall  of 
a couple  of  feet,  is  totally  ineffective  to  clear  it,  and  as  long 
as  they  have  the  Virgin  Mary  to  pray  to,  the  pious  Spaniards 
will  not  drive  their  sewage  into  the  ocean.  The  hot  sun  rays 
stream  down  into  the  thick  black  liquid.  Horrible  smells 
are  let  loose  from  it  when  it  is  set  in  motion  by  screw  or 
paddle,  and  ships  bring  up  at  mooring  buoys  lest  their  an- 
chors should  disturb  the  compost  which  lies  at  the  bottom. 
Yet  one  forgot  the  disagreeables  in  the  novelty  and  striking 
character  of  the  scene.  A hundred  boats  were  plying  to  and 
fro  among  the  various  vessels,  with  their  white  sails  and  white 
awnings.  Flags  of  all  countries  were  blowing  out  at  stern  or 
from  masthead  ; among  them,  of  course,  the  stars  and  stripes 
flying  jauntily  on  some  splendid  schooner  wdiich  stood  there 
like  a cock  upon  a dunghill  that  might  be  his  own  if  he  chose 
to  crow  for  it. 

As  soon  as  we  had  brought  up  we  were  boarded  by  the 
inevitable  hotel  touters,  custom-house  officers,  porters,  and 
boatmen.  Interpreters  offered  their  services  in  the  confusion 
of  languages.  Gradually  there  emerged  out  of  the  general 
noise  two  facts  of  importance.  First,  that  I ought  to  have 


HAVANA,  FROM  THE  QUARRIES. 


Landing  Embarrassments.  295 

had  a passport,  and  if  I had  not  brought  one  that  I was  likely 
to  be  fined  at  the  discretion  of  Spanish  officials.  Secondly, 
that  if  I trusted  to  my  own  powers  of  self-defence,  I should 
be  the  victim  of  indefinite  other  extortions.  Passport  I had 
none — such  things  are  not  required  any  longer  in  Spain,  and 
it  had  not  occurred  to  me  that  they  might  still  be  in  demand 
in  a Spanish  colony.  As  to  being  cheated,  no  one  could  or 
would  tell  me  what  I was  to  pay  for  anything,  for  there  were 
Amei’ican  dollars,  Spanish  dollars,  Mexican  dollars,  and  Cuban 
dollars,  all  different  and  with  fractions  of  each.  And  there 
were  multiples  of  dollars  in  gold,  and  single  dollars  in  silver, 
and  last  and  most  important  of  all  there  was  the  Cuban  paper 
dollar,  which  was  230  per  cent,  below'  the  value  of  the  Cuban 
gold  dollar.  And  in  this  last  the  smaller  transactions  of  com- 
mon life  were  carried  on,  the  practical  part  of  it  to  a stranger 
being  that  when  you  had  to  receive  you  received  in  paper,  and 
when  you  had  to  pay  you  paid  in  specie. 

I escaped  for  the  time  the  penalty  which  would  have  been 
inflicted  on  me  about  the  passport.  I had  a letter  of  intro- 
duction to  the  Captain-General  of  the  island,  and  the  Captain- 
General — so  the  viceroy  is  called— was  so  formidable  a per- 
son that  the  officials  did  not  venture  to  meddle  with  me. 
For  the  rest  I was  told  that  as  soon  as  I had  chosen  my 
hotel,  the  agent,  who  was  on  board,  would  see  me  through  all 
obstructions,  and  would  not  allow  me  to  be  plundered  by  any- 
one but  himself.  To  this  I had  to  submit.  I named  an  hotel 
at  random  ; a polite  gentleman  in  a few  moments  had  a boat 
alongside  for  me  ; I had  stept  into  it  when  the  fair  damsels 
bound  for  Darien,  who  had  been  concealed  all  this  time  in 
their  cabin,  slipped  down  the  ladder  and  took  their  places  at 
my  side,  to  the  no  small  entertainment  of  the  friends  whom 
I had  left  on  board  and  who  were  watching  us  from  the  deck. 

At  the  wharf  I was  able  to  shake  off  my  companions,  and  I 
soon  forgot  the  misadventure,  for  I found  myself  in  Old  Cas- 


296  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

tile  once  more,  amidst  Spanish  faces,  Spanish  voices,  Spanish 
smells,  and  Spanish  scenes.  On  the  very  wharf  itself  was  a 
church  grim  and  stern,  and  so  massive  that  it  would  stand, 
barring  earthquakes,  for  a thousand  years.  Church,  indeed, 
it  was  no  longer ; it  had  been  turned  into  a custom-house. 
But  this  was  because  it  had  been  desecrated  when  we  were  in 
Havana  by  having  an  English  sendee  performed  in  it.  They 
had  churches  enough  without  it,  and  they  preferred  to  leave 
this  one  with  a mark  upon  it  of  the  anger  of  the  Almighty. 
Of  churches,  indeed,  there  was  no  lack  ; churches  thick  as 
public-houses  in  a Welsh  town.  Church  beyond  church, 
palace  beyond  palace,  the  narrow  streets  where  neighbours 
on  either  side  might  shake  hands  out  of  the  upper  stories, 
the  deep  colonnades,  the  private  houses  with  the  win- 
dows grated  towards  the  street,  with  glimpses  through  the 
street  door  into  the  court  and  garden  within,  with  its  cloisters, 
its  palm  trees,  and  its  fountains  ; the  massiveness  of  the 
stonework,  the  curious  old-fashioned  bookstalls,  the  dirt,  the 
smell,  the  carriages,  the  swearing  drivers,  the  black-robed 
priest  gliding  along  the  footway — it  was  Toledo  or  Valladolid 
again  with  the  sign  manual  on  it  of  Spain  herself  in  friendly 
and  familiar  form.  Every  face  that  I saw  was  Spanish.  In 
Kingston  or  Port  of  Spain  you  meet  fifty  blacks  for  one 
European  ; all  the  manual  work  is  done  by  them.  In  Havana 
the  proportion  is  reversed,  you  hardly  see  a coloured  man  at 
all.  Boatmen,  porters,  cab-drivers  or  cart-drivers,  every  one 
of  whom  are  negroes  in  our  islands,  are  there  Spaniards,  either 
Cuban  born  or  emigrants  from  home.  A few  black  beggars 
there  were — permitted,  as  objects  of  charity  to  pious  Catholics 
and  as  a sign  of  their  inferiority  of  race.  Of  poverty  among 
the  whites,  real  poverty  that  could  be  felt,  I saw  no  sign  at 
all. 

After  driving  for  about  a mile  we  emerged  out  of  the  old 
town  into  a large  square  and  thence  into  a wide  Alameda  or 


American  Visitors. 


297 


boulevard  with  double  avenues  of  trees,  statues,  fountains, 
theatres,  clubhouses,  and  all  the  various  equipments  of  mod- 
ern luxuriousness  and  so-called  civilised  life.  Beyond  the 
Alameda  -\yas  another  still  larger  square,  one  side  of  which 
was  a railway  station  and  terminus.  In  a colonnade  at  right 
angles  was  the  hotel  to  which  I had  been  recommended ; 
spacious,  handsome,  in  style  half  Parisian  half  Spanish,  like 
the  Fondas  in  the  Puerto  del  Sol  at  Madrid. 

Spanish  was  the  language  generally  spoken  ; but  there 
were  interpreters  and  waiters  more  or  less  accomplished  in 
other  tongues,  especially  in  English,  of  which  they  heard 
enough,  for  I found  Havana  to  be  the  winter  resort  of  our 
American  cousins,  who  go,  generally,  to  Cuba  as  we  go  to  the 
Riviera,  to  escape  the  ice  and  winds  of  the  eastern  and  middle 
States.  This  particular  hotel  was  a favourite  resort,  and  was 
full  to  overflowing  with  them.  It  was  large,  with  an  interior 
quadrangular  garden,  into  which  looked  tiers  of  windows  ; and 
wings  had  been  thrown  out  with  terraced  roofs,  suites  of 
rooms  opening  out  upon  them  ; each  floor  being  provided 
with  airy  sitting  rooms  and  music  rooms.  Here  were  to  be 
heard  at  least  a hundred  American  voices  discussing  the  ex- 
periences and  plans  of  their  owners.  The  men  lounged  in 
the  hall  or  at  the  bar,  or  sat  smoking  on  the  rows  of  leather 
chairs  under  the  colonnade,  or  were  under  the  hands  of  bar- 
bers or  haircutters  in  an  airy  open  saloon  devoted  to  these 
uses.  When  I retreated  upstairs  to  collect  myself,  a lady  was 
making  the  corridors  ring  close  by  as  she  screamed  at  a piano 
in  the  middle  of  an  admiring  and  criticising  crowd.  Dear  as 
the  Americans  are  to  me,  and  welcome  in  most  places  as  is 
the  sound  of  those  same  sweet  voices,  one  had  not  come  to 
Havana  for  this.  It  was  necessary  to  escape  somewhere,  and 
promptly,  from  the  discord  of  noises  which  I hoped  might  be 
due  to  some  momentary  accident.  The  mail  company’s  agent, 
Mr.  R , lived  in  the  hotel.  Pie  kindly  found  me  out,  in- 


298  The  English  in  the  T Vest  Indies. 

itiated  me  in  tlie  mysteries  of  Cuban  paper  money,  and  giv- 
ing me  a tariff  of  the  fares,  found  me  a cab,  and  sent  me  out 
to  look  about  me. 

My  first  object  was  the  cathedral  and  the  tomb  of  Colum- 
bus. In  Catholic  cities  in  Europe  churches  stand  always 
open ; the  passer-by  can  enter  when  he  pleases,  fall  on  his 
knees  and  say  his  silent  prayers  to  his  Master  whom  he  sees 
on  the  altar.  In  Havana  I discovered  afterward  that,  except 
at  special  hours,  and  those  as  few  as  might  be,  the  doors 
were  kept  locked  and  could  only  be  opened  by  a golden  key. 
It  was  carnival  time,  however ; there  were  functions  going  on 
of  various  kinds,  and  I found  the  cathedral  happily  accessible. 
It  was  a vast  building,  little  ornamented,  but  the  general 
forms  severe  and  impressive,  in  the  style  of  the  time  of 
Philip  H.,  when  Gothic  art  had  gone  out  in  Spain  and  there 
had  come  in  the  place  of  it  the  implacable  sternness  which 
expresses  the  very  genius  of  the  Inquisition.  A broad  flight 
of  stone  steps  led  up  to  the  great  door.  The  afternoon  was 
extremely  hot ; the  curtains  were  thrown  back  to  admit  as 
much  air  as  possible.  There  was  some  function  proceeding 
of  a peculiar  kind.  I know  not  what  it  was  ; something  cer- 
tainly in  which  the  public  had  no  interest,  for  there  was  not 
a stranger  present  but  myself.  But  the  great  cathedral  offi- 
cials were  busy  at  work,  and  liked  to  be  at  their  ease.  On 
the  wall  as  you  entered  a box  invited  contributions,  as  limosna 
por  el  Santo  Padre.  The  service  was  I know  not  what.  In 
the  middle  of  the  nave  stood  twelve  large  chairs  arranged  in 
a semicircle  ; on  these  chairs  sat  twelve  canons,  like  a row  of 
mandarins,  each  with  his  little  white  patch  like  a silver  dollar 
on  the  crown  of  his  black  head.  Five  or  six  minor  dignita- 
ries, deacons,  precentors,  or  something  of  that  sort,  were 
droning  out  monotonous  recitations  like  the  buzzing  of  so 
many  humble  bees  in  the  warm  summer  air.  The  dean  or 
provost  sat  in  the  central  biggest  chair  of  all.  His  face  was 


299 


The  Tomb  of  Columbus. 

rosy,  and  lie  wiped  it  from  time  to  time  with  a red  handker- 
chief ; his  chin  was  double  or  perhaps  treble  ; he  had  evi- 
dently dined,  and  would  or  might  have  slept  but  for  a pile 
of  snuff  on  his  chair  arm,  with  continual  refreshments  from 
which  he  kept  his  faculties  alive.  I sat  patiently  till  it  was 
over,  and  the  twelve  holy  men  rose  and  went  their  way.  I 
could  then  stroll  about  at  leisure.  The  pictures  were  of  the 
usual  paltry  kind.  On  the  chancel  arch  stood  the  royal  arms 
of  Spain,  as  the  lion  and  the  unicorn  used  to  stand  in  our 
parish  churches  till  the  High  Church  clergy  mistook  them 
for  Erastian  wild  beasts.  At  the  right  side  of  the  altar  was 
the  monument  which  I had  come  in  search  of  ; a marble  tab- 
let fixed  against  the  wall,  and  on  it  a poorly  executed  figure 
in  high  relief,  with  a ruff  about  its  neck  and  features  which 
might  be  meant  for  anyone  and  for  no  one  in  particular. 
Somewhere  near  me  there  were  lying  I believed  and  could 
hope  the  mortal  remains  of  the  discoverer  of  the  New  World. 
An  inscription  said  so.  There  was  written  : 

O Restos  y Imagen  del  grande  Colon 

Mil  siglos  durad  guardados  en  la  Urna 

Y en  remembranza  de  nuestra  Nacion. 

The  court  poet,  or  whoever  wrote  the  lines,  was  as  poor  an 
artist  in  verse  as  the  sculptor  in  stone.  The  image  of  the 
grande  Colon  is  certainly  not  ‘ guarded  in  the  urn,’  since  you 
see  it  on  the  wall  before  your  eyes.  The  urn,  if  urn  there  be, 
with  the  ‘ relics  ’ in  it,  must  be  under  the  floor.  Columbus 
and  his  brother  Diego  were  originally  buried  to  the  right  and 
left  of  the  altar  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Domingo.  When  St. 
Domingo  was  abandoned,  a commission  was  appointed  to  re- 
move the  body  of  Cliristophe  to  Havana.  They  did  remove  a 
body,  but  St.  Domingo  insists  that  it  was  Diego  that  was 
taken  away,  that  Cliristophe  remains  where  he  was,  and  that 
if  Spain  wants  him  Spain  must  pay  for  him.  I followed  the 


300  The  English  in  the  T Vest  Indies. 

canons  into  the  sacristy  where  they  were  unrobing.  I did 
not  venture  to  address  either  of  themselves,  but  I asked  an 
acolyte  if  he  could  throw  any  light  upon  the  matter.  He 
assured  me  that  there  neither  was  nor  could  have  been  any 
mistake.  They  had  the  right  body  and  were  in  no  doubt 
about  it.  In  more  pious  ages  disputes  of  this  sort  were  set- 
tled by  an  appeal  to  miracles.  Rival  pretenders  for  the  pos- 
session of  the  same  bones  came,  however,  at  last  to  be  able  to 
produce  authentic  proofs  of  miracles  which  had  been  worked 
at  more  than  one  of  the  pretended  shrines ; so  that  it  was 
concluded  that  saints’  relics  were  like  the  loaves  and  fishes, 
capable  of  multiplication  without  losing  their  identity,  and  of 
having  the  property  of  being  in  sevei'al  places  at  the  same 
moment.  The  same  thing  has  been  alleged  of  the  Holy  Coat 
of  Treves  and  of  the  wood  of  the  true  cross.  Havana  and  St. 
Domingo  may  perhaps  eventually  find  a similar  solution  of 
their  disagreement  over  the  resting  place  of  Columbus. 

I walked  back  to  my  hotel  up  a narrow  shady  street  like  a 
long  arcade.  Here  were  the  principal  shops ; several  libra- 
ries among  them,  into  which  I strayed  to  gossip  and  to  look 
over  the  shelves.  That  so  many  persons  could  get  a living 
by  bookselling  implied  a reading  population,  but  the  books 
themselves  did  not  indicate  any  present  literary  productive- 
ness. They  were  chiefly  old,  and  from  the  Old  World,  and 
belonged  probably  to  persons  who  had  been  concerned  in 
the  late  rebellion  and  whose  property  had  been  confiscated. 
They  were  absurdly  cheap  ; I bought  a copy  of  Guzman  de 
Alfaraclie  for  a few  pence. 

I had  brought  letters  of  introduction  to  several  distin- 
guished people  in  Havana  ; to  one  especially,  Don  G , a 

member  of  a noble  Peninsular  family,  once  an  officer  in  the 
Spanish  navy,  now  chairman  of  a railway  company  and  head 
of  an  important  commercial  house.  His  elder  brother,  the 
Marques  de , called  on  me  on  the  evening  of  the  day  of 


Cuban  Friends. 


301 


my  arrival ; a distinguished-looking  man  of  forty  or  there- 
abouts, with  courteous  high-bred  manners,  rapid,  prompt, 
and  incisive,  with  the  air  of  a soldier,  which  in  early  life  he 
had  been.  He  had  travelled,  spoke  various  languages,  and 

spoke  to  me  in  admirable  English.  Don  G , who  might 

be  a year  or  two  younger,  came  later  and  stayed  an  hour  and 
a half  with  me.  Let  me  acknowledge  here,  and  in  as  warm 
language  as  I can  express  it,  the  obligations  under  which  I 
stand  to  him,  not  for  the  personal  attentions  only  which  he 
showed  me  during  my  stay  in  Havana,  but  for  giving  me  an 
opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  a real  specimen  of 
Plato’s  superior  men,  who  were  now  and  then,  so  Plato  said, 
to  be  met  with  in  foreign  travel.  It  is  to  him  that  I owe  any 
knowledge  which  I brought  away  with  me  of  the  present 
state  of  Cuba.  He  had  seen  much,  thought  much,  read  much. 
He  was  on  a level  with  the  latest  phases  of  philosophical  and 
spiritual  speculation,  could  talk  of  Darwin  and  Spencer,  of 
Schopenhauer,  of  Strauss,  and  of  Renan,  aware  of  what  they 
had  done,  aware  of  the  inconvenient  truths  which  they  had 
forced  into  light,  but  aware  also  that  they  had  left  the  most 
important  questions  pretty  much  where  they  found  them.  He 
had  taken  no  part  in  the  political  troubles  of  the  late  years 
in  Cuba,  but  he  had  observed  everything.  No  one  knew  better 
the  defects  of  the  present  system  of  government ; no  one  was 
less  ready  to  rush  into  hasty  schemes  for  violently  mending  it. 

The  ten  years’  rebellion,  of  which  I had  heard  so  much 
and  knew  so  little,  he  first  made  intelligible  to  me.  Cuba 
had  been  governed  as  a province  of  Spain,  and  Spain,  like 
other  mother  countries,  had  thought  more  of  drawing  a reve- 
nue out  of  it  for  herself  than  of  the  interests  of  the  colony. 
Spanish  officials  had  been  avaricious,  and  Spanish  fiscal 
policy  oppressive  and  ruinous.  The  resources  of  the  island 
in  metals,  in  minerals,  in  agriculture  were  as  yet  hardly 
scratched,  yet  every  attempt  to  develop  them  was  paralysed 


302  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

by  fresh  taxation.  The  rebellion  had  been  an  effort  of  the 
Cuban  Spaniards,  precisely  analogous  to  the  revolt  of  our 
own  North  American  colonies,  to  shake  off  the  authority  of 
the  court  of  Madrid  and  to  make  themselves  independent. 
They  had  fought  desperately  and  had  for  several  years  been 
masters  of  half  the  island.  They  had  counted  on  help  from 
the  United  States,  and  at  one  time  they  seemed  likely  to  get 
it.  But  the  Americans  could  not  see  their  way  to  admitting 
Cuba  into  the  Union,  and  without  such  a irrospect  did  not  care 
to  quarrel  with  Spain  on  their  account.  Finding  that  they 
were  to  be  left  to  themselves,  the  insru’gents  came  to  terms 
and  Spanish  authority  was  re-established.  Families  had  been 
divided,  sons  taking  one  side  and  fathers  the  other,  as  in  our 
English  Wars  of  the  Boses,  perhaps  for  the  same  reason,  to 
save  the  family  estates  whichever  side  came  out  victorious. 
The  blacks  had  been  indifferent,  the  rebellion  having  no  in- 
terest for  them  at  all.  They  had  remained  by  their  masters, 
and  they  had  been  rewarded  after  the  peace  by  complete 
emancipation.  There  was  not  a slave  now  in  Cuba.  No  in- 
demnity had  been  granted  to  their  owners,  nor  had  any  been 
asked  for,  and  the  business  on  the  plantations  had  gone  on 
without  interruption.  Those  who  had  been  slaves  continued 
to  work  at  the  same  locations,  receiving  wages  instead  of 
food  and  maintenance  ; all  were  satisfied  at  the  change,  and 
this  remarkable  revolution  had  been  carried  out  with  an  ease 
and  completeness  which  found  no  parallel  in  any  other  slave- 
owning country. 

In  spite  of  rebellion,  in  spite  of  the  breaking  up  and  re- 
construction of  the  social  system,  in  spite  of  the  indifferent 
administration  of  justice,  in  spite  of  taxation,  and  the  inex- 
plicable appropriations  of  the  revenue,  Cuba  was  still  moder- 
ately prosperous,  and  that  it  could  flourish  at  all  after  trials 
so  severe  was  the  best  evidence  of  the  greatness  of  its  natural 
wealth.  The  party  of  insurrection  was  dissolved,  and  would 


Political  Trials. 


303 


revive  again  only  under  the  unlikely  contingency  of  encour- 
agement from  the  United  States.  There  was  a party,  how- 
ever, which  desired  for  Cuba  a constitution  like  the  Canadian 
— Home  Rule  and  the  management  of  its  own  affairs — and  as 
the  black  element  was  far  outnumbered  and  under  control, 
such  a constitution  would  not  be  politically  dangerous. 

If  the  Spanish  Government  does  not  mend  its  ways,  con- 
cessions of  this  kind  may  eventually  have  to  be  made,  though 
the  improvement  to  be  expected  from  it  is  doubtful.  Offi- 
cial corruption  is  engrained  in  the  character  and  habits  of  the 
Spanish  people.  Judges  allowed  their  decisions  to  be  ‘influ- 
enced ’ under  Philip  HI.  as  much  as  to-day  in  the  colonies  of 
Queen  Christina ; and  when  a fault  is  the  habit  of  a people, 
it  survives  political  reforms  and  any  number  of  turnings  of 
the  kaleidoscope. 

The  encouraging  feature  is  the  success  of  emancipation. 
There  is  no  jealousy,  no  race  animosity,  no  supercilious  con- 
tempt of  whites  for  * niggers.’  The  Spaniards  have  inherited 
a tinge  of  colour  themselves  from  their  African  ancestors, 
and  thus  they  are  all  friends  together.  The  liberated  slave 
can  acquire  and  own  land  if  he  wishes  for  it,  but  as  a rule  he 
prefers  to  work  for  wages.  These  happy  conditions  arise  in 
part  from  the  Spanish  temperament,  but  chiefly  from  the  nu- 
merical preponderance  of  the  white  element,  which,  as  in  the 
United  States,  is  too  secure  to  be  uneasy.  The  black  is  not 
encouraged  in  insubordination  by  a sense  that  he  could  win 
in  a contest  of  strength,  and  the  aspect  of  things  is  far  more 
promising  for  the  future  than  in  our  own  islands.  The  Span- 
iards, however  inferior  we  may  think  them  to  ourselves,  have 
filled  their  colonies  with  their  own  people  and  are  reaping 
the  reward  of  it.  We  have  so  contrived  that  such  English  as 
had  settled  in  the  West  Indies  on  their  own  account  are  leav- 
ing them. 

Spain,  four  centuries  ago,  was  the  greatest  of  European  na- 


304:  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

lions,  the  first  in  art,  or  second  only  to  Italy,  the  first  in 
arms,  the  first  in  the  men  whom  she  produced.  She  has 
been  swept  along  in  the  current  of  time.  She  fought  against 
the  stream  of  tendency,  and  the  stream  proved  too  strong  for 
her,  great  as  she  was.  The  modern  spirit,  which  she  would 
not  have  when  it  came  in  the  shape  of  the  Reformation,  has 
flowed  over  her  borders  as  revolution,  not  to  her  benefit,  for 
she  is  unable  to  assimilate  the  new  ideas.  The  old  Spain  of 
the  Inquisition  is  gone  ; the  Spain  of  to-day  is  divided  be- 
tween Liberalism  and  Catholic  belief.  She  is  sick  in  the  proc- 
ess of  the  change,  and  neither  she  nor  her  colonies  stand  any 
longer  in  the  front  lines  in  the  race  of  civilization  ; yet  the 
print  of  her  foot  is  stamped  on  the  New  World  in  characters 
which  will  not  be  effaced,  and  may  be  found  to  be  as  endur- 
ing as  our  own. 

The  colony  is  perhaps  in  advance  of  the  mother  country. 

The  Catholic  Church,  Don  G said,  has  little  influence  in 

Cuba ; ‘ she  has  had  no  rival,’  he  explained,  ‘ and  so  has 
grown  lazy.’  I judged  the  same  from  my  own  observations. 
The  churches  on  Sundays  were  thinly  attended,  and  men 
smiled  when  I asked  them  about  ‘ confession.’  I inquired 
about  famous  preachers.  I was  told  that  there  was  no  preach- 
ing in  Havana,  famous  or  otherwise.  I might  if  I was  lucky 
and  chose  to  go  there  in  the  early  morning,  hear  a sermon 
in  the  church  of  the  Jesuits  ; that  was  all.  I went ; I heard 
my  Jesuit,  who  was  fluent,  eloquent,  and  gesticulating,  but 
he  was  pouring  out  his  passionate  rhetoric  to  about  fifty 
women  with  scarcely  a man  amongst  them.  It  was  piteous 
to  look  at  him.  The  Catholic  Church,  whether  it  be  for  want 
of  rivals,  or  merely  from  force  of  time,  has  fallen  from  its 
high  estate.  It  can  burn  no  more  heretics,  for  it  has  lost  the 
art  to  raise  conviction  to  sufficient  intensity.  The  power  to 
burn  was  the  measure  of  the  real  belief  which  people  had  in 
the  Church  and  its  doctrines.  The  power  has  departed  with 


The  Church  in  Cuba. 


305 


the  waning  of  faith ; and  religion  in  Havana,  as  in  Madrid, 
is  but  ‘ use  and  wont ; ’ not  ‘ belief  ’ but  opinion,  and  opinion 
which  is  half  insincere.  Nothing  else  can  take  its  place. 
The  day  is  too  late  for  Protestantism,  which  has  developed 
into  wider  forms,  and  in  the  matter  of  satisfied  and  complete 
religious  conviction  Protestants  are  hardly  better  off  than 
Catholics. 

Don  G had  been  much  in  Spain  ; he  was  acquainted 

with  many  of  the  descendants  of  the  old  aristocracy,  who 
linger  there  in  faded  grandeur.  He  had  studied  the  history 
of  his  own  country.  He  compared  the  Spain  and  England 
of  the  sixteenth  century  with  the  Spain  and  England  of  the 
present ; and,  like  most  of  us,  he  knew  where  the  yoke  galled 
his  own  neck.  But  economical  and  political  prosperity  is  no 
exhaustive  measure  of  human  progress.  The  Rome  of  Tra- 
jan was  immeasurably  more  splendid  than  the  Rome  of  the 
Scipios ; yet  the  progress  had  been  downwards  nevertheless. 
If  the  object  of  our  existence  on  this  planet  is  the  develop- 
ment of  character,  if  the  culminating  point  in  any  nation’s 
history  be  that  at  which  it  produces  its  noblest  and  bravest 
men,  facts  do  not  tend  to  assure  us  that  the  triumphant 
march  of  the  last  hundred  years  is  accomplishing  much  in 

that  direction.  I found  myself  arguing  with  Don  G 

that  if  Charles  V.  and  Philip  II.  were  to  come  back  to  this 
world,  and  to  see  whither  the  movement  had  brought  us  of 
which  they  had  worked  so  hard  to  suppress  the  beginning, 
they  would  still  say  that  they  had  done  right  in  trying  to 
strangle  it.  The  Reformation  called  itself  a protest  against 
lies,  and  the  advocates  of  it  imagined  that  when  the  lies,  or 
what  they  called  such,  were  cleared  away,  the  pure  metal  of 
Christianity  would  remain  unsullied.  The  great  men  who 
fought  against  the  movement,  Charles  V.  in  his  cabinet  and 
Erasmus  in  his  closet,  had  seen  that  it  could  not  rest  there  ; 
that  it  was  the  cradle  of  a revolution  in  which  the  whole 
20 


306  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

spiritual  and  political  organisation  of  Europe  would  be  flung 
into  the  crucible.  Under  that  organisation  human  nature 
had  ascended  to  altitudes  of  chivalry,  of  self-sacrifice,  which 
it  had  never  before  reached.  The  sixteenth  century  was  the 
blossoming  time  of  the  Old  World,  and  no  such  men  had  ap- 
peared since  as  then  came  to  the  front,  either  in  Spain  or 
Italy,  or  Germany  or  France  or  England.  The  actual  leaders 
of  the  Reformation  had  been  bred  in  the  system  which  they 
destroyed.  Puritanism  and  Calvinism  produced  men  of 
powerful  character,  but  they  were  limited  and  incapable  of 
continuance  ; and  now  the  liberty  which  was  demanded  had 
become  what  their  instinct  had  told  them  from  the  first  must 
be  the  final  shape  of  it,  a revolution  which  would  tolerate  no 
inequalities  of  culture  or  position,  which  insisted  that  no 
man  was  better  than  another,  which  was  to  exalt  the  low  and 
bring  down  the  high  till  all  mankind  should  stand  upon  a 
common  level — a level,  not  of  baseness  or  badness,  but  a 
level  of  good-humoured,  smart,  vulgar  and  vulgarising 
mediocrity,  with  melodrama  for  tragedy,  farce  for  comedy, 
sounding  speech  for  statesmanlike  wisdom  ; and  for  a creed, 
when  our  fathers  thought  that  we  had  been  made  a little 
lower  than  the  angels,  the  more  modest  knowledge  that  we 
were  only  a little  higher  than  the  apes.  This  was  the  aspect 
in  which  the  world  of  the  nineteenth  century  would  appear 
to  Sir  Thomas  More  or  the  Duka  of  Alva.  From  the  Grand 
Captain  to  Seiior  Castelar,  from  Lord  Burghley  to  Mr.  Glad- 
stone, from  Leonardo  da  Vinci  or  Velasquez  to  Gustave 
Dore,  from  Cervantes  and  Shakespeare  to  ‘ Pickwick  ’ and  the 
‘ Innocents  at  Home  ; ’ from  the  faith  which  built  the  cathe- 
drals to  evolution  and  the  survival  of  the  fittest ; from  the 
carving  and  architecture  of  the  Middle  Ages  to  the  workman- 
ship of  the  modern  contractor  ; the  change  in  the  spiritual 
department  of  things  had  been  the  same  along  the  whole 
line.  The  great  Emperor,  after  seeing  all  that  has  been 


Thoughts  on  Progress. 


307 


achieved,  the  railways,  the  steam  engines,  the  telegraphs,  the 
Yankee  and  his  United  States,  which  are  the  embodiment  of 
the  highest  aspirations  of  the  modern  era,  after  attending 
a session  of  the  British  Association  itself,  and  seeing  the 
bishops  holding  out  their  hands  to  science  which  had  done 
such  great  things  for  them,  might  fairly  claim  that  it  was  a 
doubtful  point  whether  the  change  had  been  really  for  the 
better. 

It  may  be  answered,  and  answered  truly,  that  the  old  thing 
was  dead.  The  Catholic  faith,  where  it  was  left  standing  and 
where  it  still  stands,  produces  now  nothing  higher,  nothing 
better  than  the  Protestant.  Human  systems  grow  as  trees 
grow.  The  seed  shoots  up,  the  trunk  forms,  the  branches 
spread  ; leaves  and  flowers  and  fruit  come  out  year  after  year 
as  if  they  were  able  to  renew  themselves  for  ever.  But  that 
which  has  a beginning  has  an  end,  that  which  has  life  must 
die  when  the  vital  force  is  exhausted.  The  faith  of  More,  as 
well  as  the  faith  of  Ken  or  Wilson,  were  elevating  and  enno- 
bling as  long  as  they  were  sincerely  believed,  but  the  time 
came  when  they  became  clouded  with  uncertainty  ; and  con- 
fused, perplexed,  and  honestly  anxious,  humanity  struggles 
on  as  well  as  it  can,  all  things  considered,  respectably  enough, 
in  its  chrysalis  condition,  the  old  wings  gone,  the  new  wings 
that  are  to  be  (if  we  are  ever  to  have  another  set)  as  yet  im- 
prisoned in  their  sheath. 

The  same  Sunday  morning  when  I went  in  search  of  my 
sermon,  the  hotel  was  alive  as  bees  at  swarming  time.  There 
was  to  be  a bull  fight  in  honour  of  the  carnival,  and  such  a bull 
fight  as  had  never  been  seen  in  Havana.  Placards  on  the 
wall  announced  that  a lady  from  Spain,  Gloriana  they  called 
her,  was  to  meet  and  slay  a bull  in  single  combat,  and  every- 
one must  go  and  see  the  wonderful  sight.  I myself,  having 
seen  the  real  thing  in  Madrid  many  years  ago,  felt  no  more 
curiosity,  and  that  a woman  should  be  an  actress  in  such  a 


308  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

scene  did  not  revive  it.  To  those  who  went  the  performance 
was  a disappointment.  The  bull  provided  turned  out  to  be  a 
calf  of  tender  years.  The  spectators  insisted  that  they  would 
have  a beast  full  of  strength  and  ferocity,  and  Gloriana  when 
brought  to  the  point  declined  the  adventure. 

There  was  a prettier  scene  in  the  evening.  In  the  cool 
after  nightfall  the  beauty  and  fashion  of  Havana  turns  out  to 
stroll  in  the  illuminated  Alameda.  As  it  was  now  a high  fes- 
tival the  band  was  to  play,  and  the  crowd  was  as  dense  as  on 
Exhibition  nights  at  South  Kensington.  The  music  was 
equally  good,  and  the  women  as  graceful  and  well  dressed,  I 
sat  for  an  hour  or  two  listening  under  the  statue  of  poor 
Queen  Isabella.  The  image  of  her  still  stands  where  it  was 
placed,  though  revolution  has  long  shaken  her  from  her  throne. 
All  is  forgotten  now  except  that  she  was  once  a Spanish  sov- 
ereign, and  time  and  distance  have  deodorised  her  memory. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Hotels  in  Havana — Sights  in  the  city — Cigar  manufactories — West  Ind- 
ian industries — The  Captain-General — The  Jesuit  college — Father 
Vinez — Clubs  in  Havana — Spanish  aristocracy — Sea  lodging  house. 

There  was  much  to  be  seen  in  Havana,  and  much  to  think 
about.  I regretted  only  that  I had  not  been  better  advised 
in  my  choice  of  an  hotel.  The  dining  saloon  rang  with 
American  voices  in  their  shrillest  tones.  Every  table  was  oc- 
cupied by  groups  of  them,  nor  was  there  a sound  in  the  room 
of  any  language  but  theirs.  In  the  whole  company  I had 
not  a single  acquaintance.  I have  liked  well  almost  evei-y  in- 
dividual American  that  I have  fallen  in  with  and  come  to 
know.  They  are  frank,  friendly,  open,  and  absolutely  unaf- 
fected, and,  like  my  friend  at  Miss  Roy’s  in  Jamaica,  they 
take  cheerful  views  of  life,  which  is  the  highest  of  all  recom- 
mendations. The  distinctness  and  sharpness  of  utterance  is 
tolerable  and  even  agreeable  in  conversation  with  a single  per- 
son. When  a large  number  of  them  are  together,  all  talking- 
in  a high  tone,  it  tries  the  nerves  and  sets  the  teeth  on  edge. 
Nor  could  I escape  from  them  in  any  part  of  the  building. 
The  gentlemen  were  talking  politics  in  the  hall,  or  lounging 
under  the  colonnade.  One  of  them,  an  absolute  stranger, 
who  perhaps  knew  who  I was,  asked  me  abruptly  for  my 
opinion  of  Cardinal  Newman.  The  ladies  filled  the  sitting- 
rooms  ; their  pianos  and  their  duets  pierced  the  walls  of  my 
bedroom,  and  only  ceased  an  hour  after  midnight.  At  five  in 
the  morning  the  engines  began  to  scream  at  the  adjoining 
railway  station.  The  church  bells  woke  at  the  same  hour 


310  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

with  their  superfluous  summons  to  matins  which  no  one  at- 
tended. Sleep  was  nest  to  an  impossibility  under  these 
hard  conditions,  and  I wanted  more  and  not  less  of  it  when  I 
had  the  duties  upon  me  of  sightseeing.  Sleep  or  no  sleep, 
however,  I determined  that  I would  see  what  I could  as  long 
as  I could  keep  going. 

A few  hundred  yards  off  was  one  of  the  most  famous  of  the 
Havana  cigar  manufactories.  A courteous  message  from  the 
manager,  Senor  Bances,  had  informed  me  that  he  would  be 
happy  to  show  me  over  it  on  any  morning  before  the  sun  was 
above  the  roofs  of  the  houses.  I found  the  sefior  a handsome 
elderly  gentleman,  tall  and  lean,  with  Castilian  dignity  of  man- 
ner, free  and  frank  in  all  his  communications,  Avith  no  reserve, 
concealments,  or  insincerities.  I told  him  that  in  my  experi- 
ence cigars  were  not  what  they  had  been,  that  the  last  good 
one  which  I had  smoked  I had  bought  twenty  years  ago  from 
a contraband ista  at  Madrid.  I had  come  to  Havana  to  see 
whether  I could  find  another  equally  good  at  the  fountain 
head.  He  said  that  he  was  not  at  all  surprised.  It  was  the 
same  story  as  at  Jamaica  ; the  consumption  of  cigars  had  in- 
creased with  extreme  rapidity,  the  area  on  which  the  finest 
tobacco  had  been  grown  was  limited,  and  the  expense  of  grow- 
ing it  was  very  great.  Only  a small  quantity  of  the  best 
cigars  was  now  made  for  the  market.  In  general  the  plants 
were  heavily  manured,  and  the  flavour  suffered.  Leaf  of 
coarse  fibre  was  used  for  the  core  of  the  cigars,  with  only  a 
fold  or  two  wrapped  round  it  of  more  delicate  quality.  He 
took  me  into  the  different  rooms  where  the  manufacture  was 
going  on.  In  the  first  were  perhaps  a hundred  or  a hundred 
and  fifty  sallow-faced  young  men  engaged  in  rolling.  They 
were  all  Cubans  or  Spaniards  with  the  exception  of  a single 
negro  ; and  all,  I should  think,  under  thirty.  On  each  of  the 
tables  was  one  of  the  names  with  which  we  have  grown  famil- 
iar in  modern  cigar  shops,  Beynas,  Regalias,  Principes,  and 


311 


Cigar  Manufactories. 

I know  not  how  many  else.  The  difference  of  material  could 
not  be  great,  but  there  was  a real  difference  in  the  fineness 
of  the  make,  and  in  the  quality  of  the  exterior  leaf.  The 
workmen  were  of  unequal  capacity  and  were  unequally  paid. 
The  sefior  employed  in  all  about  1,400  ; at  least  so  I under- 
stood him. 

The  black  field  hands  had  eighteenpence  a day.  The  rollers 
were  paid  by  quality  and  quantity  ; a good  workman  doing 
his  best  could  earn  sixty  dollars  a week,  an  idle  and  indiffer- 
ent one  about  twelve.  They  smoked  as  they  rolled,  and  there 
was  no  check  upon  the  consumption,  the  loss  in  this  way  be- 
ing estimated  at  40,000  dollars  a year.  The  pay  was  high  ; 
but  there  was  another  side  to  it — the  occupation  was  danger- 
ous. If  there  were  no  old  men  in  the  room,  there  were  no 
boys.  Those  who  undertook  it  died  often  in  two  or  three 
years.  Doubtless  with  precaution  the  mortality  might  be 
diminished  ; but,  like  the  needle  and  scissor  grinders  in  Eng- 
land, the  men  themselves  do  not  wish  it  to  be  diminished. 
The  risk  enters  into  the  wages,  and  they  prefer  a short  life 
and  a merry  one. 

The  cigarettes,  of  which  the  varieties  are  as  many  as  there 
are  of  cigars,  were  made  exclusively  by  Chinese.  The  second 
room  which  we  entered  was  full  of  them,  their  curious  yellow 
faces  mildly  bending  over  their  tobacco  heaps.  Of  these 
there  may  have  been  a hundred.  Of  the  general  expenses  of 
the  establishment  I do  not  venture  to  say  anything,  bewil- 
dered as  I was  in  the  labyrinthine  complication  of  the  cur- 
rency, but  it  must  certainly  be  enormous,  and  this  house,  the 
Partagas,  was  but  one  of  many  equally  extensive  in  Havana 
alone. 

The  senor  was  most  liberal.  He  filled  my  pockets  with 
packets  of  excellent  cigarettes  ; he  gave  me  a bundle  of  cigars. 
I cannot  say  whether  they  were  equal  to  what  I bought  from 
my  contrabandista,  for  these  may  have  been  idealised  by  a 


312  The  English  in  the  West  Indies . 

grateful  memory,  but  they  were  so  incomparably  better  than 
any  which  I have  been  able  to  get  in  London  that  I was 
tempted  to  deal  with  him,  and  so  far  I have  had  no  reason  to 
repent.  The  boxes  with  which  he  provided  me  bettered  the 
sample,  and  the  price,  duty  at  home  included,  was  a third 
below  what  I should  have  paid  in  London  for  an  article  which 
I would  rather  leave  unconsumed.  A broker  whom  I fell  in 
with  insisted  to  me  that  the  best  cigars  all  went  to  London, 
that  my  preference  for  what  I got  from  my  senor  was  mere 
fancy  and  vanity,  and  that  I could  buy  better  in  any  shop  in 
Regent  Street.  I said  that  he  might  but  I couldn’t,  and  so 
we  left  it. 

I tell  all  this,  not  with  the  affectation  of  supposing  that 
tobacco  or  my  own  taste  about  it  can  have  any  interest,  but 
as  an  illustration  of  what  can  be  done  in  the  West  Indies, 
and  to  show  how  immense  a form  of  industry  waits  to  be 
developed  in  our  own  islands,  if  people  with  capital  and 
knowledge  choose  to  set  about  it.  Tobacco  as  good  as  the 
best  in  Cuba  has  been  grown  and  can  be  grown  in  Jamaica, 
in  St.  Domingo,  and  probably  in  every  one  of  the  Antilles. 
‘ There  are  dollars  in  those  islands,’  as  my  Yankee  said,  and 
many  a buried  treasure  will  be  brought  to  light  there  when 
capitalists  can  feel  assured  that  they  will  not  be  at  the  mercy 
of  black  constitutional  governments. 

My  letter  of  introduction  to  the  Captain-General  was  still 
undelivered,  and  as  I had  made  use  of  it  on  landing  I thought 
it  right  at  least  to  pay  my  respects  to  the  great  man.  The 

Marques  M kindly  consented  to  go  with  me  and  help  me 

through  the  interview,  being  of  course  acquainted  with  him. 
He  was  at  his  country  house,  a mile  out  of  the  town.  The 
buildings  are  all  good  in  Havana.  It  was  what  it  called  itself, 
not  a palace  but  a handsome  country  residence  in  the  middle 
of  a large  well-kept  garden.  The  viceroyalty  has  a fair  but 
not  extravagant  income  attached  to  it.  The  Captain-General 


The  Captain- General.  313 

receives  about  8,000/.  a year  besides  allowances.  Were  the 
balls  and  dinners  expected  of  him  which  our  poor  governors 
are  obliged  to  entertain  their  subjects  with,  he  would  not  be 
able  to  make  much  out  of  it.  The  large  fortunes  which  used 
to  be  brought  back  by  the  fortunate  Captains-General  who 
could  connive  at  the  slave  trade  were  no  longer  attainable ; 
those  good  days  are  gone.  Public  opinion  therefore  permits 
them  to  save  their  incomes.  The  Spaniards  are  not  a hospi- 
table people,  or  rather  their  notion  of  hospitality  differs  in 
form  from  ours.  They  are  ready  to  dine  with  you  them- 
selves as  often  as  you  will  ask  them.  Nothing  in  the  shape 
of  dinners  is  looked  for  from  the  Captain-General,  and  when 
I as  a stranger  suggested  the  possibility  of  such  a thing  hap- 
pening to  me,  my  companion  assured  me  that  I need  not  be 
in  the  least  alarmed.  We  were  introduced  into  a well-pro- 
portioned hall,  with  a few  marble  busts  in  it  and  casts  of 
Greek  and  Roman  statues.  Aides-de-camp  and  general  offi- 
cers were  lounging  about,  with  whom  we  exchanged  distant 
civilities.  After  waiting  for  a quarter  of  an  hour  we  were 
summoned  by  an  official  into  an  adjoining  room  and  found 
ourselves  in  his  Excellency’s  presence.  He  was  a small  gen- 
tlemanlike-looking man,  out  of  uniform,  in  plain  morning 
dress  with  a silk  sash.  He  received  us  with  natural  polite- 
ness ; cordiality  was  uncalled  for,  but  he  was  perfectly  gra- 
cious. He  expressed  his  pleasure  at  seeing  me  in  the  island  ; 
he  hoped  that  I should  enjoy  myself,  and  on  his  part  would 
do  everything  in  his  power  to  make  my  stay  agreeable.  He 
spoke  of  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  and  of  the  social  state 
of  the  island  with  pardonable  satisfaction,  inquired  about  our 
own  West  Indies,  &c.,  and  finally  asked  me  to  tell  him  in 
what  way  he  could  be  of  service  to  me.  I told  him  that  I 
had  found  such  kind  friends  in  Havana  already,  that  I could 
think  of  little.  One  thing  only  he  could  do  if  he  pleased.  I 
had  omitted  to  bring  a passport  with  me,  not  knowing  that 


314  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

it  would  be  required.  My  position  was  irregular  and  might 
be  inconvenient.  I was  indebted  to  my  letter  of  introduc- 
tion to  his  Excellency  for  admission  into  his  dominions. 
Perhaps  he  would  write  a few  words  which  would  enable  me 
to  remain  in  them  and  go  out  of  them  when  my  visit  was 
over.  His  Excellency  said  that  he  would  instruct  the  Go- 
bierno  Civil  to  see  to  it,  an  instruction  the  meaning  of  which 
I too  sadly  understood.  I was  not  to  be  allowed  to  escape 
the  fine.  A fresh  shower  followed  of  polite  words,  and  with 
these  we  took  ourselves  away. 

The  afternoon  was  spent  more  instructively,  perhaps  more 

agreeably,  in  a different  scene.  The  Marques  M had 

been  a pupil  of  the  Jesuits.  He  had  personal  friends  in  the 
Jesuit  college  at  Havana,  especially  one,  Father  Vinez,  whose 
name  is  familiar  to  students  of  meteorological  science,  and 
who  has  supplemented  and  corrected  the  accepted  law  of 
storms  by  careful  observation  of  West  Indian  hurricanes. 
The  Jesuits  were  as  well  spoken  of  in  Havana  as  the  Mora- 
vians in  Jamaica.  Everyone  had  a good  word  for  them. 
They  alone,  as  I have  said,  took  the  trouble  to  provide  the 
good  people  there  with  a sermon  on  Sundays.  They  alone 
among  the  Catholic  clergy,  though  they  live  poorly  and  have 
no  endowment,  exert  themselves  to  provide  a tolerable  edu- 
cation for  the  middle  and  upper  classes.  The  Marques  under- 
took that  if  we  called  we  should  be  graciously  received,  and 
I was  curious  and  interested.  Their  college  had  been  an 
enormous  monastery.  Wherever  the  Spaniards  went  they 
took  an  army  of  monks  with  them  of  all  the  orders.  The 
monks  contrived  always  to  house  themselves  handsomely. 
While  soldiers  fought  and  settlers  planted,  the  monks’  duty 
was  to  pray.  In  process  of  time  it  came  to  be  doubted 
whether  the  monks’  prayers  were  worth  what  they  cost,  or 
whether,  in  fact,  they  had  ever  had  much  effect  of  any  kind. 
They  have  been  suppressed  in  Spain  ; they  have  been  clipped 


The  Jesuit  College. 


315 


short  in  all  the  Spanish  dominions,  and  in  Havana  there  are 
now  left  only  a handful  of  Dominicans,  a few  nuns,  and  these 
Jesuits,  who  have  taken  possession  of  the  largest  of  the  con- 
vents, much  as  a soldier-crab  becomes  the  vigorous  tenant  of 
the  shell  of  some  lazy  sea-snail.  They  have  a college  there 
where  there  are  four  hundred  lads  and  young  men  who  pay 
for  their  education  ; some  hundreds  more  are  taken  out  of 
charity.  The  Jesuits  conduct  the  whole,  and  do  it  all  un- 
aided, on  their  own  resources.  And  this  is  far  from  all  that 
they  do.  They  keep  on  a level  with  the  age  ; they  are  men 
of  learning  ; they  are  men  of  science  ; they  are  the  Royal 
Society  of  Cuba.  They  have  an  observatory  in  the  college, 
and  the  Father  Vinez  of  whom  I have  spoken  is  in  charge  of 
it.  Father  Vinez  was  our  particular  object.  The  porter’s 
lodge  opened  into  a courtyard  like  the  quadrangle  of  a col- 
lege at  Oxford.  From  the  courtyard  we  turned  into  a nar- 
row staircase,  up  which  we  climbed  till  we  reached  the  roof, 
on  and  under  which  the  Father  had  his  lodgings  and  his  ob- 
serving machinery.  We  entered  a small  room,  plainly  fur- 
nished with  a table  and  a few  uncushioned  chairs  ; table  and 
chairs,  all  save  the  Father’s,  littered  with  books  and  papers. 
Cases  stood  round  the  wall,  containing  self-registering  in- 
struments of  the  most  advanced  modem  type,  each  with  its 
paper  barrel  unrolling  slowly  under  clockwork,  while  a pen- 
cil noted  upon  it  the  temperature  of  the  air,  the  atmospheric 
pressure,  the  degree  of  moisture,  the  ozone,  the  electricity. 
In  the  middle,  surrounded  by  his  tools  and  his  ticking  clocks, 
sat  the  Father,  middle-aged,  lean  and  dry,  with  shrivelled  skin 
and  brown  and  threadbare  frock.  He  received  my  companion 
with  a warm  affectionate  smile.  The  Marques  told  him  that  I 
was  an  Englishman  who  was  curious  about  the  work  in  which 
he  was  engaged,  and  he  spoke  to  me  at  once  with  the  polite- 
ness of  a man  of  sense.  After  a few  questions  asked  and  an- 
swered, he  took  us  out  to  a shed  among  the  roof-tiles,  where  he 


316  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

kept  his  large  telescope,  his  equatorial,  and  his  transit  instru- 
ments— not  on  the  great  scale  of  State-supported  observato- 
ries, but  with  everything  which  was  really  essential.  He  had  a 
laboratory,  too,  and  a workshop,  with  all  the  recent  appliances. 
He  was  a practical  optician  and  mechanic.  He  managed  and 
repaired  his  own  machinery,  observed,  made  his  notes,  and 
wrote  his  reports  to  the  societies  with  which  he  was  in  corre- 
spondence, all  by  himself.  The  outfit  of  such  an  establish- 
ment, even  on  a moderate  scale,  is  expensive.  I said  I sup- 
posed that  the  Government  gave  him  a grant.  ‘ So  far  from 
it,’  he  said,  ‘ that  we  have  to  pay  a duty  on  every  instrument 
which  we  import.’  ‘Who,  then,  pays  for  it  all?’  I asked. 
‘ The  order,’  he  answered,  quite  simply. 

The  house,  I believe,  was  a gift,  though  it  cost  the  State 
nothing,  having  been  simply  seized  when  the  monks  were  ex- 
pelled. The  order  now  maintains  it,  and  more  than  repays 
the  Government  for  their  single  act  of  generosity.  At  my 
companion’s  suggestion  Father  Yihez  gave  me  a copy  of  his 
book  on  hurricanes.  It  contains  a record  of  laborious  jour- 
neys which  he  made  to  the  scene  of  the  devastations  of  the 
last  ten  years.  The  scientific  value  of  the  Father’s  work  is 
recognised  by  the  highest  authorities,  though  I cannot  vent- 
ure even  to  attempt  to  explain  what  he  has  done.  He  then 
conducted  us  over  the  building,  and  showed  us  the  libraries, 
dormitories,  playgrounds,  and  all  the  other  arrangements 
which  were  made  for  the  sudents.  Of  these  we  saw  none. 
They  were  all  out,  but  the  long  tables  in  the  refectory  were 
laid  for  afternoon  tea.  There  was  a cup  of  milk  for  each  lad, 
with  a plate  of  honey  and  a roll  of  bread  ; and  supper  would 
follow  in  the  evening.  The  sleeping  gallery  was  divided  into 
cells,  open  at  the  top  for  ventilation,  with  bed,  table,  chest  of 
drawers,  and  washing  apparatus — all  scrupulously  clean.  So 
far  as  I could  judge,  the  Fathers  cared  more  for  the  boys’ 
comfort  than  for  their  own.  Through  an  open  door  our  con- 


Chubs  in  Havana. 


317 


ducfcor  faintly  indicated  the  apartment  which  belonged  to 
himself.  Four  bare  walls,  a bare  tiled  floor,  a plain  pallet, 
with  a crucifix  above  the  pillow,  was  all  that  it  contained. 
There  was  no  parade  of  ecclesiasticism.  The  libraries  were 
well  furnished,  but  the  books  were  chiefly  secular  and  scien- 
tific. The  chapel  was  unornamented  ; there  were  a few  pict- 
ures, but  they  were  simple  and  inoffensive.  Everything  was 
good  of  its  kind,  down  to  the  gymnastic  courts  and  swimming 
bath.  The  holiness  was  kept  in  the  background.  It  was  in 
the  spirit  and  not  in  the  body.  The  cost  of  the  whole  estab- 
lishment was  defrayed  out  of  the  payments  of  the  richer  stu- 
dents managed  economically  for  the  benefit  of  the  rest,  with 
complete  indifference  on  the  part  of  the  Fathers  to  indul- 
gence and  pleasures  of  their  own.  As  we  took  leave  the  Mar- 
ques kissed  his  old  master’s  brown  hand.  I rather  envied 
him  the  privilege. 

Something  I saw  of  Havana  society  in  the  received  sense  of 
the  word.  There  are  many  clubs  there,  and  high  play  in 
most  of  them,  for  the  Cubans  are  given  to  the  roulette  tables. 
The  Union  Club,  which  is  the  most  distinguished  among 
them,  invites  occasional  strangers  staying  in  the  city  to  tem- 
porary membership  as  we  do  at  the  Athenaeum.  Here  you 
meet  Spanish  grandes,  who  have  come  to  Cuba  to  be  out  of 
reach  of  revolution,  proud  as  ever  and  not  as  poor  as  you 
might  expect ; and  when  you  ask  who  they  are  you  hear  the 
great  familiar  names  of  Spanish  history.  I was  introduced  to 
the  president — young,  handsome,  and  accomplished.  I was 
startled  to  learn  that  he  was  the  head  of  the  old  house  of 
Sandoval.  The  house  of  Columbus  ought  to  be  there  also, 
for  there  is  still  a Christophe  Colon,  the  direct  linear  repre- 
sentative of  the  discoverer,  disguised  under  the  title  of  the 
Duque  de  Veragua.  A perpetual  pension  of  20,000  dollars  a 
year  was  granted  to  the  great  Christophe  and  his  heirs  for 
ever  as  a charge  on  the  Cuban  revenue.  It  has  been  paid  to 


318  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

tlie  family  through  all  changes  of  dynasty  and  forms  of  govern- 
ment, and  is  paid  to  them  still.  But  the  Duque  resides  in 
Spain,  and  the  present  occupation  of  him,  I was  informed,  is 
the  breeding  and  raising  bulls  for  the  Plaza  de  Toros  at  Seville. 

Thus,  every  way,  my  stay  was  made  agreeable  to  me. 
There  were  breakfasts  and  dinners  and  introductions.  Don 

G and  his  brother  were  not  fine  gentlemen  only,  but 

were  men  of  business  and  deeply  engaged  in  the  active  life 
of  the  place.  The  American  consul  was  a conspicuous  figure 
at  these  entertainments.  America  may  not  find  it  her  inter- 
est to  annex  these  islands,  but  since  she  ordered  the  French 
out  of  Mexico,  and  the  French  obeyed,  she  is  universally  felt 
on  that  side  of  the  Atlantic  to  be  the  supreme  arbiter  of  all 
their  fates.  Her  consuls  are  thus  persons  of  consequence. 
The  Cubans  like  the  Americans  well.  The  commercial  treaty 
which  was  offered  to  our  islands  by  the  United  States  has 
been  accepted  eagerly  by  the  Spaniards.  Spanish  sugar  goes 
free  into  the  American  market.  They  say  that  they  have  hills 
of  solid  iron  in  the  island  and  mountains  of  copper  with  50 
per  cent,  of  virgin  copper  in  them  waiting  for  the  Americans 
to  develop,  and  likely  I suppose  to  wait  a little  longer.  The 
present  administration  would  swallow  up  in  taxation  the  prof- 
its of  the  most  promising  enterprise  that  ever  was  undertaken, 
but  the  metals  are  there,  and  will  come  one  day  into  working. 
The  consul  was  a swift  peremptory  man  who  knew  his  own 
mind  at  any  rate.  Between  his  ‘ Yes,  sir,’  and  his  1 No,  sir,’ 
you  were  at  no  loss  for  his  meaning.  He  told  me  a story  of  a 
‘ nigger  ’ officer  with  whom  he  had  once  got  into  conversation 
at  Hayti.  He  had  inquired  why  they  let  so  fine  an  island 
run  to  waste  ? Why  did  they  not  cultivate  it  ? The  dusky 
soldiex’  laid  his  hand  upon  his  breast  and  waved  his  hand. 
‘ Ah,’  he  said,  ‘ that  might  do  for  English  or  Germans  or 
Franks  ; we  of  the  Latin  race  have  higher  things  to  occupy 
us.’ 


Vedado. 


319 


I liked  the  consul  well.  I could  not  say  as  much  for  his 
countrymen  and  countrywomen  at  my  hotel.  Individually  I 
dare  say  they  would  have  been  charming ; collectively  they 
drove  me  to  distraction.  Space  and  time  had  no  existence 
for  them  ; they  and  their  voices  were  heard  in  all  places  and 
at  all  hours.  The  midnight  bravuras  at  the  pianos  mixed 

wildly  in  my  broken  dreams.  The  Marques  M wished  to 

take  me  with  him  to  his  country  seat  and  show  me  his  sugar 
plantations.  Nothing  could  have  been  more  delightful,  but 
with  want  of  sleep  and  the  constant  racket  I found  myself 
becoming  unwell.  In  youth  and  strength  one  can  defy  the 
foul  fiend  and  bid  him  do  his  worst ; in  age  one  finds  it 
wiser  to  get  out  of  the  way. 

On  the  sea,  seven  miles  from  Havana,  and  connected  with 
it  by  a convenient  railway,  at  a place  called  Yedado,  I found 
a lodging  house  kept  by  a Frenchman  (the  best  cook  in  Cuba) 
with  a German  wife.  The  situation  was  so  attractive,  and  the 
owners  of  it  so  attentive,  that  quiet  people  went  often  into 
‘ retreat  ’ there.  There  were  delicious  rooms,  airy  and  soli- 
tary as  I could  wish.  The  sea  washed  the  coral  rock  under 
the  windows.  There  were  walks  wild  as  if  there  was  no  city 
within  a thousand  miles — up  the  banks  of  lonely  rivers,  over 
open  moors,  or  among  inclosures  where  there  were  large 
farming  establishments  with  cattle  and  horses  and  exten- 
sive stables  and  sheds.  There  was  a village  and  a harbour 
where  fishing  people  kept  their  boats  and  went  out  daily 
with  their  nets  and  lines — blacks  and  whites  living  and 
working  side  by  side.  I could  go  where  I pleased  without 
fear  of  interference  or  question.  Only  I was  warned  to  be 
careful  of  the  dogs,  large  and  dangerous,  descendants  of  the 
famous  Cuban  bloodhounds,  which  are  kept  everywhere  to 
guard  the  yards  and  houses.  They  were  really  danger- 
ous, and  had  to  be  avoided.  The  shore  was  of  inex- 

haustible interest.  It  was  a level  shelf  of  coral  rock  extend- 


320 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


ing  for  many  miles  and  littered  over  with  shells  and  coral 
branches  which  had  been  flung  up  by  the  surf.  I had  hoped 
for  bathing.  In  the  open  water  it  is  not  to  be  thought  of  on 
account  of  the  sharks,  but  baths  have  been  cut  in  the  rock  all 
along  that  part  of  the  coast  at  intervals  of  half  a mile  ; deep 
square  basins  with  tunnels  connecting  them  with  the  sea,  up 
which  the  waves  run  clear  and  foaming.  They  are  within  in- 
closures, roofed  over  to  keep  out  the  sun,  and  with  attend- 
ants regularly  present.  Art  and  nature  combined  never  made 
more  charming  pools ; the  water  clear  as  sapphire,  aerated  by 
the  constant  inrush  of  the  foaming  breakers,  and  so  warm  that 
you  could  lie  in  it  without  a chill  for  hours  Alas ! that  I 
could  but  look  at  them  and  execrate  the  precious  Government 
which  forbade  me  their  use.  So  severe  a tax  is  laid  on  these 
bathing  establishments  that  the  owners  can  only  afford  to  keep 
them  open  during  the  three  hottest  months  in  the  year,  when 
the  demand  is  greatest. 

In  the  evenings  people  from  Havana  would  occasionally 
come  down  to  dine  as  we  go  to  Greenwich,  being  attracted 
partly  by  the  air  and  partly  by  my  host’s  reputation.  There 
was  a long  verandah  under  which  tables  were  laid  out,  and 
there  were  few  nights  on  which  one  or  more  parties  were  not 
to  be  seen  there.  Thus  I encountered  several  curious  speci- 
mens of  Cuban  humanity,  and  on  one  of  my  runs  up  to  Ha- 
vana I met  again  the  cigar  broker  who  had  so  roughly  chal- 
lenged my  judgment.  He  was  an  original  and  rather  divert- 
ing man  ; I should  think  a Jew.  Whatever  he  was  he  fell 
upon  me  again  and  asked  me  scornfully  whether  I supposed 
that  the  cigars  which  I had  bought  of  Sen  or  Bances  were 
anything  out  of  the  way.  I said  that  they  suited  my  taste 
and  that  was  enough.  ‘Ah,’  he  replied,  ‘ Co/1  a loco  con  su 
tema.  Every  fool  had  his  opiuion.’  ‘ I am  the  loco  (idiot), 
then,’  said  I,  ‘ but  that  again  is  matter  of  opinion.’  He  spoke 
of  Cuba  and  professed  to  know  all  about  it.  ‘ Can  you  tell 


Visitors  at  Vedado. 


321 


me,  then/  said  I,  ‘why  the  Cubans  hate  the  Spaniards?’ 
‘ Why  do  the  Irish  hate  the  English  ? ’ he  answered.  I said 
it  was  not  an  analogous  case.  Cubans  and  Spaniards  were  of 
the  same  breed  and  of  the  same  creed.  ‘ That  is  nothing/  he 
replied  ; ‘ the  Americans  will  have  them  both  before  long.’  I 
said  I thought  the  Americans  were  too  wise  to  meddle  with 
either.  If  they  did,  however,  I imagined  that  on  our  own 
side  of  the  Atlantic  we  should  have  something  to  say  on  the 
subject  before  Ireland  was  taken  from  us.  He  laughed  good- 
humouredly.  ‘ Is  it  possible,  sir/  he  said,  ‘ that  you  live  in 
England  and  are  so  absolutely  ignorant?’  I laughed  too. 
He  was  a strange  creature,  and  would  have  made  an  excellent 
character  in  a novel. 

Don  G or  his  brother  came  down  occasionally  to  see 

how  I was  getting  on  and  to  talk  philosophy  and  history. 
Other  gentlemen  came,  and  the  favourite  subject  of  conversa- 
tion was  Spanish  administration.  One  of  them  told  me  this 
story  as  an  illustration  of  it.  His  father  was  the  chief  part- 
ner in  a bank  ; a clerk  absconded,  faking  50,000  dollars  with 
him.  He  had  been  himself  sent  in  pursuit  of  the  man,  over- 
took him  with  the  money  still  in  his  possession,  and  recovered 
it.  With  this  he  ought  to  have  been  contented,  but  he  tried 
to  have  the  offender  punished.  The  clerk  replied  to  the 
criminal  charge  by  a counter-charge  against  the  house.  It 
was  absurd  in  itself,  but  he  found  that  a suit  would  grow  out 
of  it  which  would  swallow  more  than  the  50,000  dollars,  and 
finally  he  bribed  the  judge  to  allow  him  to  drop  the  prosecu- 
tion. Cosas  de  Espana  ; it  lies  in  the  breed.  Guzman  de  Al- 
farache  was  robbed  of  his  baggage  by  a friend.  The  facts 
were  clear,  the  thief  was  caught  with  Guzman’s  clothes  on  his 
back  ; but  he  had  influential  friends — he  was  acquitted.  He 
prosecuted  Guzman  for  a false  accusation,  got  a judgment  and 
ruined  him. 

The  question  was,  whether  if  the  Cubans  could  make  them- 
21 


322  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

selves  independent  there  would  be  much  improvement.  The 
want  in  Cuba  just  now,  as  in  a good  many  other  places,  is  the 
want  of  some  practical  religion  which  insists  on  moral  duty. 
A learned  English  judge  was  trying  a case  one  day,  when 
there  seemed  some  doubt  about  the  religious  condition  of  one 
of  the  witnesses.  The  clerk  of  the  court  retired  with  him  to 
ascertain  what  it  really  was,  and  returned  radiant  almost  im- 
mediately, saying,  ‘ All  right,  my  lord.  Knows  he’ll  be 
damned — competent  witness — knows  he’ll  be  damned.’  That 
is  really  the  whole  of  the  matter.  If  a man  is  convinced  that 
if  he  does  wrong  he  will  infallibly  be  punished  for  it  he  has 
then  ‘ a saving  faith.’  This,  unfortunately,  is  precisely  the 
conviction  which  modern  forms  of  religion  produce  hardly 
anywhere.  The  Cubans  are  Catholics,  and  hear  mass  and 
go  to  confession  ; but  confession  and  the  mass  between 
them  are  enough  for  the  consciences  of  most  of  them,  and 
those  who  think  are  under  the  influence  of  the  modern 
spirit,  to  which  all  things  are  doubtful.  Some  find  com- 
fort in  Mr.  Herbert  Spencer.  Some  regard  Christianity 
as  a myth  or  poem,  which  had  passed  in  unconscious  good 
faith  into  the  mind  of  mankind,  and  there  might  have  re- 
mained undisturbed  as  a beneficent  superstition  had  not 
Protestantism  sprung  up  and  insisted  on  flinging  away 
everything  which  was  not  literal  and  historical  fact.  His- 
torical fact  had  really  no  more  to  do  with  it  than  with 
the  stories  of  Prometheus  or  the  siege  of  Troy.  The  end 
was  that  no  bottom  of  fact  could  be  found,  and  we  were  all 
set  drifting. 

Notably  too  I observed  among  serious  people  there,  what  I 
have  observed  in  other  places,  the  visible  relief  with  which 
they  begin  to  look  forward  to  extinction  after  death.  When 
the  authority  is  shaken  on  which  the  belief  in  a future  life 
rests,  the  question  inevitably  recurs.  Men  used  to  pretend 
that  the  idea  of  annihilation  was  horrible  to  them  ; now 


The  Cemetery. 


323 


they  regard  the  probability  of  it  with  calmness,  if  not  with 
actual  satisfaction.  One  very  interesting  Cuban  gentleman 
said  to  me  that  life  would  be  very  tolerable  if  one  was  cer- 
tain that  death  would  be  the  end  of  it.  Thev  theologi- 
cal alternatives  were  equally  unattractive  ; Tartarus  was  an 
eternity  of  misery,  and  the  Elysian  Fields  an  eternity  of 
ennui. 

There  is  affectation  in  the  talk  of  men,  and  one  never  knows 
from  what  they  say  exactly  what  is  in  their  mind.  I have 
often  thought  that  the  real  character  of  a people  shows  itself 
nowhere  with  more  unconscious  completeness  than  in  their 
cemeteries.  Philosophise  as  we  may,  few  of  us  are  deliber- 
ately insincere  in  the  presence  of  death  ; and  in  the  arrange- 
ments which  we  make  for  the  reception  of  those  who  have 
been  dear  to  us,  and  in  the  lines  which  we  inscribe  upon  their 
monuments,  we  show  what  we  are  in  ourselves  perhaps  more 
than  what  they  were  whom  wTe  commemorate.  The  parish 
churchyard  is  an  emblem  and  epitome  of  English  country 
life  ; London  reflects  itself  in  Brompton  and  Kensal  Green, 
and  Paris  in  Pere  la  Chaise.  One  day  as  I was  walking  I 
found  myself  at  the  gate  of  the  great  suburban  cemetery  of 
Havana.  It  was  inclosed  within  high  walls  ; the  gateway  was 
a vast  arch  of  pink  marble,  beautiful  and  elaborately  carved. 
Within  there  was  a garden  simply  and  gracefully  laid  out 
with  trees  and  shrubs  and  flowers  in  borders.  The  whole 
space  inclosed  may  have  been  ten  acres,  of  which  half  was 
assigned  to  those  who  were  contented  with  a mere  mound  of 
earth  to  mark  where  they  lay  ; the  rest  was  divided  into 
family  vaults  covered  with  large  white  marble  slabs,  sep- 
arate headstones  marking  individuals  for  whom  a particular 
record  was  required,  and  each  group  bearing  the  name 
of  the  family  the  members  of  which  were  sleeping  there. 
The  peculiarity  of  the  place  was  the  absence  of  inscrip- 
tions. There  was  a name  and  date,  with  E.  P.  D. — ‘ en 


324 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


paz  descansa  ” — or  E.  G.  E. — fen  gracia  esta’2 — and  that 
seemed  all  that  was  needed.  The  virtues  of  the  departed 
and  the  grief  of  the  survivors  were  taken  for  granted  in 
all  but  two  instances.  There  may  have  been  more,  but  I 
could  find  only  these. 

One  was  in  Latin  : 

AD  COELITES  EVOCAT2E  UXOEI  EXIMI2E  IGNATIUS. 

Ignatius  to  his  admirable  wife  who  has  been  called  up  to  heaven. 

The  other  was  in  Spanish  verse,  and  struck  me  as  a graceful 
imitation  of  the  old  manner  of  Cervantes  and  Lope  De  Yega. 
The  design  on  the  monument  was  of  a girl  hanging  an  im- 
mortelle upon  a cross.  The  tomb  was  of  a Caridad  del  Monte, 
and  the  lines  were  : 

Bendita  Caridad,  las  que  piadosa 
Su  mano  vierte  en  la  funerea  losa 
Son  flores  recogidas  en  el  suelo, 

Mas  con  su  olor  perfumaran  el  cielo. 

It  is  dangerous  for  anyone  to  whom  a language  is  only 
moderately  familiar  to  attempt  an  appreciation  of  elegiac 
poetry,  the  effect  of  which,  like  the  fragrance  of  a violet,  must 
rather  be  perceived  than  accounted  for.  He  may  imagine 
what  is  not  there,  for  a single  word  ill  placed  or  ill  chosen 
may  spoil  the  charm,  and  of  this  a foreigner  can  never  en- 
tirely judge.  He  may  know  what  each  word  means,  but  he 
cannot  know  the  associations  of  it.  Here,  however,  is  a trans- 
lation in  which  the  sense  is  preserved,  though  the  aroma  is 
gone. 

The  flowers  which  thou,  oh  blessed  Charity, 

With  pious  hand  hast  twined  in  funeral  wreath, 

Although  on  earthly  soil  they  gathered  be, 

Will  sweeten  heaven  with  their  perfumed  breath. 


! He  rests  in  peace. 


2 He  is  now  in  grace. 


325 


An  American  Bishop. 

The  flowers,  I suppose,  were  the  actions  of  Caridad’s  own 
innocent  life,  which  she  was  offering  on  the  cross  of  Christ ; 
but  one  never  can  be  sure  that  one  has  caught  the  exact  sen- 
timent of  emotional  verse  in  a foreign  language.  The  beauty 
lies  in  an  undefinable  sweetness  which  rises  from  the  melody 
of  the  words,  and  in  a translation  disappears  altogether. 
Who  or  what  Caridad  del  Monte  was,  whether  a young  girl 
whom  somebody  had  loved,  or  an  allegoric  and  emblematic 
figure,  I had  no  one  to  tell  me. 

I must  not  omit  one  acquaintance  which  I was  fortunate 
enough  to  make  while  staying  at  my  seaside  lodging.  There 
appeared  there  one  day,  driven  out  of  Havana  like  myself  by 
the  noise,  an  American  ecclesiastic  with  a friend  who  ad- 
dressed him  as  ‘ My  lord.’  By  the  ring  and  purple,  as  well 
as  by  the  title,  I perceived  that  he  was  a bishop.  His  friend 
was  his  chaplain,  and  from  their  voices  I gathered  that  they 
were  both  by  extraction  Irish.  The  bishop  had  what  is  called 
a ‘clergyman’s  throat,’  and  had  come  from  the  States  in 
search  of  a warmer  climate.  They  kept  entirely  to  them- 
selves, but  from  the  laughter  and  good-humour  they  were 
evidently  excellent  company  for  one  another,  and  wanted  no 
other’.  I rather  wished  than  hoped  that  accident  might  in- 
troduce me  to  them.  Even  in  Cuba  the  weather  is  uncertain. 
One  day  there  came  a high  wind  from  the  sea  ; the  waves 
roared  superbly  upon  the  rocks,  flying  over  them  in  rolling 
cataracts.  I never  saw  foam  so  purely  white  or  waves  so 
transparent.  As  a spectacle  it  was  beautiful,  and  the  shore 
became  a museum  of  coralline  curiosities.  Indoors  the  ef- 
fect was  less  agreeable.  "Windows  rattled  and  shutters  broke 
from  their  fastenings  and  flew  to  and  fro.  The  weathercock 
on  the  house-top  creaked  as  he  was  whirled  about,  and  the 
verandahs  had  to  be  closed,  and  the  noise  was  like  a pro- 
longed thunder  peal.  The  second  day  the  wind  became  a 
cyclone,  and  chilly  as  if  it  came  from  the  pole.  None  of  us 


326  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

could  stir  out.  The  bishop  suffered  even  more  than  I did  ; 
he  walked  up  and  down  on  the  sheltered  side  of  the  house 
wrapped  in  a huge  episcopalian  cloak.  I think  he  saw  that  I 
was  sorry  for  him,  as  I really  was.  He  spoke  to  me  ; he  said 
he  had  felt  the  cold  less  in  America  when  the  thermometer 
marked  25°  below  zero.  It  was  not  much,  but  the  silence 
was  broken.  Common  suffering  made  a kind  of  link  between 
us.  After  this  he  dropped  an  occasional  gracious  word  as  he 
passed,  and  one  morning  he  came  and  sat  by  me  and  began 
to  talk  on  subjects  of  extreme  interest.  Chiefly  he  insisted 
on  the  rights  of  conscience  and  the  tenderness  for  liberty  of 
thought  which  had  always  been  shown  by  the  Church  of 
Home.  He  had  been  led  to  speak  of  it  by  the  education 
question  which  has  now  become  a burning  one  in  the  Ameri- 
can Union.  The  Church,  he  said,  never  had  interfered,  and 
never  could  or  would  interfere,  with  any  man’s  conscientious 
scruples.  Its  own  scruples,  therefore,  ought  to  be  respected. 
The  American  State  schools  were  irreligious,  and  Catholic 
parents  were  unwilling  to  allow  their  children  to  attend 
them.  They  had  established  schools  of  their  own,  and  they 
supported  them  by  subscriptions  among  themselves.  In 
these  schools  the  boys  and  girls  learnt  everything  which 
they  could  learn  in  the  State  schools,  and  they  learnt  to  be 
virtuous  besides.  They  were  thus  discharging  to  the  full 
every  duty  which  the  State  could  claim  of  them,  and  the 
State  had  no  right  to  tax  them  in  addition  for  the  main- 
tenance of  institutions  of  which  they  made  no  use,  and  of 
the  principles  of  which  they  disapproved.  There  were  now 
eight  millions  of  Catholics  in  the  Union.  In  more  than  one 
state  they  had  an  actual  majority  ; and  they  intended  to 
insist  that  as  long  as  their  children  came  up  to  the  present 
educational  standard,  they  should  no  longer  be  compelled 
to  pay  a second  education  tax  to  the  Government.  The 
struggle,  he  admitted,  would  be  a severe  one,  but  the  Cath- 


PORT  AU  PRINCE,  HAYTI. 


An  American  Bishop.  327 

olics  had  justice  on  their  side,  and  would  fight  on  till  they 
won. 

In  democracies  the  majority  is  to  prevail,  and  if  the  con- 
trol of  education  falls  within  the  province  of  each  separate 
state  government,  it  is  not  easy  to  see  on  what  ground  the 
Americans  will  he  able  to  resist,  or  how  there  can  be  a strug- 
gle at  all  where  the  Catholic  vote  is  really  the  largest.  The 
presence  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  a democracy  is  the  real 
anomaly.  The  principle  of  the  Church  is  authority  resting 
on  a divine  commission  ; the  principle  of  democracy  is  the 
will  of  the  people  ; and  the  Church  in  the  long  run  will  have 
as  hard  a battle  to  fight  with  the  divine  right  of  the  majority 
of  numbers  as  she  had  with  the  divine  right  of  the  Hohen- 
stauffens  and  the  Plantagenets.  She  is  adroit  in  adapting 
herself  to  circumstances,  and,  like  her  emblem  the  fish,  she 
changes  her  colour  with  that  of  the  element  in  which  she 
swims.  No  doubt  she  has  a strong  position  in  this  demand 
and  will  know  how  to  use  it. 

But  I was  surprised  to  hear  even  a Catholic  bishop  insist 
that  his  Church  had  always  paid  so  much  respect  to  the  rights 
of  conscience.  I had  been  taught  to  believe  that  in  the  days 
of  its  power  the  Church  had  not  been  particularly  tender 
towards  differences  of  opinion.  Fire  and  sword  had  been 
used  freely  enough  as  long  as  fire  and  sword  were  available. 
I hinted  my  astonishment.  The  bishop  said  the  Church  had 
been  slandered ; the  Church  had  never  in  a single  instance 
punished  any  man  merely  for  conscientious  error.  Protest- 
ants had  falsified  history.  Protestants  read  their  histor- 
ies, Catholics  read  theirs,  and  the  Catholic  version  was  the 
true  one.  The  separate  governments  of  Europe  had  no 
doubt  been  cruel.  In  France,  Spain,  the  Low  Countries, 
even  in  England,  heretics  had  been  harshly  dealt  with,  but 
it  was  the  governments  that  had  burnt  and  massacred  all 
those  people,  not  the  Church.  The  governments  were 


328  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

afraid  of  heresy  because  it  led  to  revolution.  The  Church 
had  never  shed  any  blood  at  all ; the  Church  could  not, 
for  she  was  forbidden  to  do  so  by  her  own  canons.  If  she 
found  a man  obstinate  in  unbelief,  she  cut  him  off  from  the 
communion  and  handed  him  over  to  the  secular  arm.  If 
the  secular  arm  thought  fit  to  kill  him,  the  Church’s  hands 
were  clear  of  it. 

So  Pilate  washed  his  hands  ; so  the  judge  might  say  he 
never  hanged  a murderer  ; the  execution  was  the  work  of  the 
hangman.  The  bishop  defied  me  to  produce  an  instance  in 
which  in  Rome,  when  the  temporal  power  was  with  the  pope 
and  the  civil  magistrates  were  churchmen,  there  had  ever 
been  an  execution  for  heresy.  I mentioned  Giordano  Bruno, 
whom  the  bishop  had  forgotten  ; but  we  agreed  not  to  quar- 
rel, and  I could  not  admire  sufficiently  the  hardihood  and 
the  ingenuity  of  his  argument.  The  English  bishops  and 
abbots  passed  through  parliament  the  Act  de  hceretico  com- 
burendo,  but  they  were  acting  as  politicians,  not  as  church- 
men. The  Spanish  Inquisition  burnt  freely  and  success- 
fully. The  inquisitors  were  archbishops  and  bishops,  but 
the  Holy  Office  was  a function  of  the  State.  When  Gregory 
XIH.  struck  his  medal  in  commemoration  of  the  massacre 
of  St.  Bartholomew  he  was  then  only  the  secular  ruler  of 
Rome,  and  therefore  fallible  and  subject  to  sin  like  other 
mortals. 

The  Church  has  many  parts  to  play  ; her  stage  wardrobe 
is  well  furnished,  and  her  actors  so  well  instructed  in  their 
parts  that  they  believe  themselves  in  all  that  they  say.  The 
bishop  was  speaking  no  more  than  his  exact  conviction.  He 
told  me  that  in  the  Middle  Ages  secular  princes  were  bound 
by  their  coronation  oath  to  accept  the  pope  as  the  arbiter  of 
all  quarrels  between  them.  I asked  where  this  oath  was,  or 
what  were  the  terms  of  it  ? The  words,  he  said,  were  unim- 
portant. The  fact  was  certain,  and  down  to  the  fatal  schism 


An  American  Bishop. 


329 


of  the  sixteenth  century  the  pope  had  always  been  allowed 
to  arbitrate,  and  quarrels  had  been  prevented.  I could  but 
listen  and  wonder.  He  admitted  that  he  had  read  one  set 
of  books  and  I another,  as  it  was  clear  that  he  must  have 
done. 

In  the  midst  of  our  differences  we  found  we  had  many 
points  of  agreement.  We  agreed  that  the  breaking  down 
of  Church  authoi’ity  at  the  Reformation  had  been  a fatal 
disaster ; that  -without  a sense  of  responsibility  to  a super- 
natural power,  human  beings  would  sink  into  ingenious 
apes,  that  human  society  would  become  no  more  than  a 
congregation  of  apes,  and  that  with  differences  of  opinion 
and  belief,  that  sense  was  becoming  more  and  more  ob- 
scured. So  long  as  all  serious  men  held  the  same  con- 
victions, and  those  convictions  were  embodied  in  the  law, 
religion  could  speak  with  authority.  The  authority  being 
denied  or  shaken,  the  fact  itself  became  uncertain.  The 
notion  that  everybody  had  a right  to  think  as  he  pleased 
was  felt  to  be  absurd  in  common  things.  The  ignorant  sub- 
mitted to  be  guided  by  those  who  were  better  instructed 
than  themselves  ; why  should  they  be  left  to  their  private 
judgment  on  subjects  where  to  go  wrong  was  the  more  dan- 
gerous? All  this  was  plain  sailing.  The  corollary  that  if 
it  is  to  retain  its  influence  the  Church  must  not  teach  doc- 
trines which  outrage  the  common  sense  of  mankind  as 
Luther  led  half  Europe  to  believe  that  the  Church  was 
doing  in  the  sixteenth  century,  we  agreed  that  we  would  not 
dispute  about.  But  I was  interested  to  see  that  the  leopard 
had  not  changed  its  spots,  that  it  merely  readjusted  its  at- 
titudes to  suit  the  modern  taste,  and  that  if  it  ever  recov- 
ered its  power  it  would  claw  and  scratch  in  the  old  way. 
Rome,  like  Pilate,  may  protest  its  innocence  of  the  blood 
which  was  spilt  in  its  name  and  in  its  interests.  Did  that 
tender  and  merciful  court  ever  suggest  to  those  prelates  who 


330 


The  English  in  the  T Vest  Indies. 


passed  the  Act  in  England  for  the  burning  of  heretics  that 
they  were  transgressing  the  sacred  rights  of  conscience  ? 
Did  it  reprove  the  Inquisition  or  send  a mild  remonstrance 
to  Philip  II.  ? The  eyes  of  those  who  are  willing  to  be 
blinded  will  see  only  what  they  desire  to  see. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


Return  to  Havana — The  Spaniards  in  Cuba— Prospects — American  influ- 
ence— Future  of  the  West  Indies — English  rumours — Leave  Cuba — 
The  harbour  at  night — The  Bahama  Channel — Hayti — Port  au  Prince 
—The  black  republic — West  Indian  history. 

The  air  and  quiet  of  Vedado  (so  my  retreat  was  called)  soon 
set  me  up  again,  and  I was  able  to  face  once  more  my  hotel 
and  its  Americans.  I did  not  attempt  to  travel  in  Cuba,  nor 
was  it  necessary  for  my  purpose.  I stayed  a few  days  longer 
at  Havana.  I went  to  operas  and  churches  ; I sailed  about 
the  harbour  in  boats,  the  boatmen,  all  of  them,  not  negroes, 
as  in  the  Antilles,  but  emigrants  from  the  old  country,  chiefly 
Galicians.  I met  people  of  all  sorts,  among  the  rest  a Spanish 
officer — a major  of  engineers — who,  if  he  lives,  may  come  to 

something.  Major  D took  me  over  the  fortifications, 

showed  me  the  interior  lines  of  the  Moro,  and  their  latest 
specimens  of  modern  artillery.  The  garrison  are,  of  course, 
Spanish  regiments  made  of  home-bred  Castilians,  as  I could 
not  fail  to  recognize  when  I heard  any  of  them  speak.  There 
are  certain  words  of  common  use  in  Spain  powerful  as  the 
magic  formulas  of  enchanters  over  the  souls  of  men.  You 
hear  them  everywhere  in  the  Peninsula ; at  cafes,  at  tables 
d’hote,  and  in  private  conversation.  They  are  a part  of  the 
national  intellectual  equipment.  Either  from  prudery  or  be- 
cause they  are  superior  to  old-world  superstitions,  the  Cubans 
have  washed  these  expressions  out  of  their  language  ; but  the 
national  characteristics  are  preserved  in  the  army,  and  the 
spell  does  not  lose  its  efficacy  because  the  islanders  disbelieve 


332 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

in  it.  I have  known  a closed  post  office  in  Madrid,  where 
the  clerk  was  deaf  to  polite  entreaty,  blown  open  by  an  oath 
as  by  a bomb  shell.  A squad  of  recruits  in  the  Moro,  who 
were  lying  in  the  shade  under  a tree,  neglected  to  rise  as  an 

officer  went  by.  ‘Saludad,  C o!’  he  thundered  out,  and 

they  bounded  to  their  feet  as  if  electrified. 

On  the  whole  Havana  was  something  to  have  seen.  It  is 
the  focus  and  epitome  of  Spanish  dominion  in  those  seas,  and 
I was  forced  to  conclude  that  it  was  well  for  Cuba  that  the 
English  attempts  to  take  possession  of  it  had  failed.  Be  the 
faults  of  their  administration  as  heavy  as  they  are  alleged  to 
be,  the  Spaniards  have  done  more  to  Europeanise  their  islands 
than  wre  have  done  with  ours.  They  have  made  Cuba  Span- 
ish— Trinidad,  Dominica,  St.  Lucia,  Grenada  have  never  been 
English  at  all,  and  Jamaica  and  Barbadoes  are  ceasing  to  be 
English.  Cuba  is  a second  home  to  the  Spaniards,  a perma- 
nent addition  to  their  soil.  We  are  as  birds  of  passage,  tem- 
porary residents  for  transient  purposes,  with  no  home  in  our 
islands  at  all.  Once  we  thought  them  worth  fighting  for,  and 
as  long  as  it  was  a question  of  ships  and  cannon  we  made 
ourselves  supreme  rulers  of  the  Caribbean  Sea  ; yet  the  French 
and  Spaniards  will  probably  outlive  us  there ; they  will  re- 
main perhaps  as  satellites  of  the  United  States,  or  in  some 
other  confederacy,  or  in  recovered  strength  of  their  own. 
We,  in  a generation  or  twro,  if  the  causes  now  in  operation 
continue  to  work  as  they  are  now  working,  shall  have  disap- 
peared from  the  scene.  In  Cuba  there  is  a great  Spanish 
population  ; Martinique  and  Guadaloupe  are  parts  of  France. 
To  us  it  seems  a matter  of  indifference  whether  we  keep  our 
islands  or  abandon  them,  and  we  leave  ihe  l’emnants  of  our 
once  precious  settlements  to  float  or  drown  as  they  can.  Aus- 
tralia and  Canada  take  care  of  themselves ; we  expect  our 
West  Indies  to  do  the  same,  careless  of  the  difference  of  cir- 
cumstance. We  no  longer  talk  of  cutting  our  colonies  adrift ; 


West  Indian  Prospects.  333 

the  tone  of  public  opinion  is  changed,  and  no  one  dares  to 
advocate  openly  the  desertion  of  the  least  important  of 
them.  But  the  neglect  and  indifference  continue.  We  will 
not  govern  them  effectively  ourselves  : our  policy,  so  far 
as  we  have  any  policy,  is  to  extend  among  them  the  prin- 
ciples of  self-government,  and  self-government  can  only 
precipitate  our  extinction  there  as  completely  as  we  know 
that  it  would  do  in  India  if  we  were  rash  enough  to  ven- 
ture the  plunge.  There  is  no  enchantment  in  self-govern- 
ment which  will  make  people  love  each  other  when  they 
are  indifferent  or  estranged.  It  can  only  force  them  into 
sharper  collision. 

The  opinion  in  Cuba  was,  and  is,  that  America  is  the  resid- 
uary legatee  of  all  the  islands,  Spanish  and  English  equally, 
and  that  she  will  be  forced  to  take  charge  of  them  in  the  end 
whether  she  likes  it  or  not.  Spain  governs  unjustly  and  cor- 
ruptly ; the  Cubans  will  not  rest  till  they  are  free  from  her, 
and  if  once  independent  they  will  throw  themselves  on 
American  protection. 

We  will  not  govern  our  islands  at  all,  but  leave  them  to 
drift.  Jamaica  and  the  Antilles,  given  over  to  the  negro 
majorities,  can  only  become  like  Hayti  and  St.  Domingo  ; 
and  the  nature  of  things  will  hardly  permit  so  fair  a part  of 
the  earth  which  has  been  once  civilised  and  under  white 
control  to  fall  back  into  barbarism. 

To  England  the  loss  of  the  West  Indies  would  not  itself  be 
serious ; but  in  the  life  of  nations  discreditable  failures  are 
not  measured  by  their  immediate  material  consequences. 
To  allow  a group  of  colonies  to  slide  out  of  our  hands  be- 
cause we  could  not  or  would  not  provide  them  with  a toler- 
able government  would  be  nothing  less  than  a public  dis- 
grace. It  would  be  an  intimation  to  all  the  world  that  we 
were  unable  to  maintain  any  longer  the  position  which  our 
fathers  had  made  for  us ; and  when  the  unravelling  of  the 


334  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

knitted  fabric  of  the  Empire  has  once  begun  the  process  will 
be  a rapid  one. 

‘ But  what  would  you  do  ? ’ I am  asked  impatiently.  ‘ We 
send  out  peers  or  gentlemen  against  whose  character  no  di- 
rect objection  can  be  raised;  we  assist  them  with  local  coun- 
cils partly  chosen  by  the  people  themselves.  We  send  out 
bishops,  we  send  out  missionaries,  we  open  schools.  What 
can  we  do  more?  We  cannot  alter  the  climate,  we  cannot 
make  planters  prosper  when  sugar  will  not  pay,  we  cannot 
convert  black  men  into  whites,  w7e  cannot  force  the  blacks  to 
work  for  the  whites  when  they  do  not  wish  to  work  for  them. 
“ Governing,”  as  you  call  it,  will  not  change  the  natural  con- 
ditions of  things.  You  can  suggest  no  remedy,  and  mere 
fault-finding  is  foolish  and  mischievous.’ 

I might  answer  a good  many  things.  Government  cannot 
do  everything,  but  it  can  do  something,  and  there  is  a differ- 
ence between  governors  against  whom  there  is  nothing  to 
object,  and  men  of  special  and  marked  capacity.  There  is  a 
difference  between  governors  wThose  hands  are  tied  by  local 
councils  and  whose  feet  are  tied  by  instructions  from  home, 
and  a governor  with  a free  hand  and  a wise  head  left  to  take 
his  own  measures  on  the  spot.  I presume  that  no  one  can 
seriously  expect  that  an  orderly  organised  nation  can  be 
made  out  of  the  blacks,  when,  in  spite  of  your  schools  and 
missionaries,  seventy  per  cent,  of  the  children  now  born 
among  them  are  illegitimate.  You  can  do  for  the  West  In- 
dies, I repeat  over  and  over  again,  what  you  do  for  the  East ; 
you  can  establish  a firm  authoritative  government  wThich 
will  protect  the  blacks  in  their  civil  rights  and  protect  the 
whites  in  theirs.  You  cannot  alter  the  climate,  it  is  true,  or 
make  the  soil  more  fertile.  Already  it  is  fertile  as  any  in  the 
earth,  and  the  climate  is  admirable  for  the  purposes  for  which 
it  is  needed.  But  you  can  restore  confidence  in  the  stability 
of  your  tenure,  you  can  give  courage  to  the  whites  who  are 


West  Indian  Prospects. 


335 


on  the  spot  to  remain  there,  and  you  can  tempt  capital  and 
enterprise  to  venture  there  which  now  seek  investments  else- 
where. By  keeping  the  rule  in  your  own  hands  you  will  re- 
store the  white  population  to  their  legitimate  influence  ; the 
blacks  will  again  look  up  to  them  and  respect  them  as  they 
ought  to  do.  This  you  can  do,  and  it  will  cost  you  nothing 
save  a little  more  pains  in  the  selection  of  the  persons  whom 
you  are  to  trust  with  powers  analogous  to  those  which  you 
grant  to  your  provincial  governors  in  the  Indian  peninsula. 

A preliminary  condition  of  this,  as  of  all  other  real  im- 
provements, is  one,  however,  which  will  hardly  be  fulfilled. 
Before  a beginning  can  be  made,  a conviction  is  wanted  that 
life  has  other  objects  besides  interest  and  convenience ; and 
very  few  of  us  indeed  have  at  the  bottom  of  our  hearts  any 
such  conviction  at  all.  We  can  talk  about  it  in  fine  language 
— no  age  ever  talked  more  or  better — but  we  don’t  believe  in 
it ; we  believe  only  in  professing  to  believe,  which  soothes 
our  vanity  and  does  not  interfere  wfitli  our  actions.  From 
fine  words  no  harvests  grow.  The  negroes  are  well  disposed 
to  follow  and  obey  any  white  who  will  be  kind  and  just  to 
them,  and  in  such  following  and  obedience  their  only  hope 
of  improvement  lies.  The  problem  is  to  create  a state  of 
things  under  which  Englishmen  of  vigour  and  character  will 
make  their  homes  among  them.  Annexation  to  the  United 
States  would  lead  probably  to  their  extermination  at  no  very 
distant  time.  The  Antilles  are  small,  and  the  fate  of  the 
negroes  there  might  be  no  better  than  the  fate  of  the 
Caribs.  The  Americans  are  not  a people  who  can  be  trifled 
with  ; no  one  knows  it  better  than  the  negroes.  They  fear 
them.  They  prefer  infinitely  the  mild  rule  of  England,  and 
under  such  a government  as  we  might  provide  if  we  cared  to 
try,  the  whole  of  our  islands  might  become  like  the  Moravian 
settlement  in  Jamaica,  and  the  black  nature,  which  has  rather 
degenerated  than  improved  in  these  late  days  of  licence, 


336 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

might  be  put  again  in  the  way  of  regeneration.  The  process 
would  be  slow — your  seedlings  in  a plantation  hang  station- 
ary year  after  year,  but  they  do  move  at  last.  We  cannot 
disown  our  responsibility  for  these  poor  adopted  brothers  of 
ours.  We  send  missionaries  into  Africa  to  convert  them  to  a 
better  form  of  religion  ; why  should  the  attempt  seem  chi- 
merical to  convert  them  practically  to  a higher  purpose  in  our 
own  colonies  ? 

The  reader  will  be  weary  of  a sermon  the  points  of  which 
have  been  reiterated  so  often.  I might  say  that  he  requires 
to  have  the  lesson  impressed  upon  him — that  it  is  for  his 
good  that  I insist  upon  it,  and  not  for  my  own.  But  this  is 
the  common  language  of  all  preachers,  and  it  is  not  found  to 
make  the  hearers  more  attentive.  I will  not  promise  to  say 
no  more  upon  the  subject,  for  it  was  forced  upon  me  at  every 
moment  and  point  of  my  journey.  I am  arriving  near  the 
end,  however,  and  if  he  has  followed  so  far,  he  will  perhaps 
go  on  with  me  to  the  conclusion.  I had  three  weeks  to  give 
to  Havana  ; they  were  fast  running  out,  and  it  was  time  for 
me  to  be  going.  Strange  stories,  too,  came  from  England, 
which  made  me  uneasy  till  I knew  how  they  were  set  in  cir- 
culation. One  day  Mr.  Gladstone  was  said  to  have  gone 
mad,  and  the  Queen  the  nest.  The  Russians  were  about  to 
annex  Afghanistan.  Our  troops  had  been  cut  to  pieces  in 
Burmah.  Something  was  going  wrong  with  us  every  day  in 
one  corner  of  the  world  or  another.  I found  at  last  that  the 
telegraphic  intelligence  was  supplied  to  the  Cuban  news- 
papers from  New  York,  that  the  telegraph  clerks  there  were 
generally  Irish,  and  their  facts  were  the  creation  of  their 
wishes.  I was  to  return  to  Jamaica  in  the  same  vessel  which 
had  brought  me  from  it.  She  had  been  down  to  the  isthmus, 
and  was  to  call  at  Havana  on  her  way  back.  The  captain’s 
most  English  face  was  a welcome  sight  to  me  when  he  ap- 
pealed one  evening  at  dinner.  He  had  come  to  tell  me  that 


337 


The  Harbour  at  Night. 

he  was  to  sail  early  on  the  following  morning,  and  I arranged 
to  go  on  board  with  him  the  same  night.  The  Captain-Gen- 
eral had  not  forgotten  to  instruct  the  Gobierno  Civil  to  grant 
me  an  exeat  regno.  I do  not  know  that  I gained  much  by  his 
intercession,  for  without  it  I should  hardly  have  been  de- 
tained indefinitely,  and  as  it  was  I had  to  pay  more  dollars 
than  I liked  to  part  with.  The  necessary  documents,  how- 
ever, had  been  sent  through  the  British  consul,  and  I was 
free  to  leave  when  I pleased.  I paid  my  bill  at  the  hotel, 
which  was  not  after  all  an  extravagant  one,  cleared  my  poc- 
ket-book of  the  remainder  of  the  soiled  and  tattered  paper 
which  is  called  money,  and  does  duty  for  it  down  to  a half- 
penny, and  with  my  distinguished  friend  Don  G , the 

real  acquisition  which  I had  made  in  coming  to  his  country, 
and  who  would  not  leave  me  till  I was  in  the  boat,  I drove 
away  to  the  wharf. 

It  was  a still,  lovely,  starlight  night.  The  moon  had  risen 
over  the  hills,  and  was  shining  brightly  on  the  roofs  and 
towers  of  the  city,  and  on  the  masts  and  spars  of  the  vessels 
which  were  riding  in  the  harbour.  There  was  not  a ripple  on 
the  water,  and  stars  and  city,  towers  and  ships,  stood  inverted 
on  the  surface  pointing  downward  as  into  a second  infinity. 
The  charm  was  unfortunately  interfered  with  by  odours 
worse  than  Coleridge  found  at  Cologne  and  cursed  in  rhyme. 
The  drains  of  Havana,  like  orange  blossom,  give  off  their 
most  fragrant  vapours  in  the  dark  hours.  I could  well  be- 
lieve Don  G ’s  saying,  that  but  for  the  natural  healthiness 

of  the  place,  they  would  all  die  of  it  like  poisoned  flies.  We 
had  to  cut  our  adieus  short,  for  the  mouth  of  some  horrid 
sewer  was  close  to  us.  In  the  boat  I did  not  escape  ; the 
water  smelt  horribly  as  it  was  stirred  by  the  oars,  charged  as 
it  was  with  three  centuries  of  pollution,  and  the  phosphores- 
cent light  shone  with  a sickly,  sulphur-like  brilliance.  One 

could  have  fancied  that  one  was  in  Charon’s  boat  and  was 
22 


338  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

crossing  Acheron.  When  I reached  the  steamer  I watched 
from  the  deck  the  same  ghostlike  phenomenon  which  is  de- 
scribed by  Tom  Cringle.  A fathom  deep,  in  the  ship’s 
shadow,  some  shark  or  other  monster  sailed  slowly  by  in  an 
envelope  of  spectral  lustre.  When  he  stopped  his  figure  dis- 
appeared, when  he  moved  on  again  it  was  like  the  movement 
of  a streak  of  blutf  flame.  Such  a creature  did  not  seem  as  if 
it  could  belong  to  our  familiar  sunlit  ocean. 

The  state  of  the  harbour  is  not  creditable  to  the  Spanish 
Government,  and  I suppose  will  not  be  improved  till  there  is 
some  change  of  dynasty.  All  that  can  be  said  for  it  is  that  it 
is  not  the  worst  in  these  seas.  Our  ship  had  just  come  from 
the  Canal,  and  had  brought  the  latest  news  from  thence. 
Fever  and  pestilence,  deaths  by  revolver  and  deaths  by  sti- 
letto, robbery  and  waste,  piles  of  costly  machinery,  sole  repre- 
sentative of  the  squandered  millions  of  francs,  rusting  in  the 
swamps.  Drink  shops  and  gambling  hells,  women  plying 
their  vile  profession  there,  solving  the  question  of  the  School- 
men whether  the  devils  were  of  both  sexes  or  only  one. 
Money  still  flowing  in  rivers,  and  the  human  vultures  flocking 
to  the  spoil.  No  law,  no  police.  Murder,  and  no  inquiry 
into  it ; bodies  lying  about  unburied,  and  wild  dogs  and 
Johnny  crows  holding  carnival  over  them.  Beautiful  last 
creation  of  the  progress  and  enterprise  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. 

At  dawn  we  swept  out  under  the  Moro,  and  away  once 
more  into  the  free  fresh  open  sea.  We  had  come  down  on 
the  south  side  of  the  island,  we  returned  by  the  north  up  the 
old  Bahama  Channel  where  Drake  died  on  his  way  home  from 
his  last  unsuccessful  expedition — Lope  de  Vega  singing  a 
paean  over  the  end  of  the  great  ‘ dragon.’  Fresh  passengers 
brought  fresh  talk.  There  was  a clever  young  Jamaican  on 
board  returning  from  a holiday  ; he  had  the  spirits  of  youth 
about  him,  and  would  have  pleased  my  American  who  never 


English  Trade  in  Havana. 


339 


knew  good  come  of  despondency.  He  liad  hopes  for  his  coun- 
try, but  they  rested,  like  those  of  every  sensible  man  that  I 
met,  on  an  inability  to  believe  that  there  would  be  further 
advances  in  the  direction  of  political  liberty.  A revised  con- 
stitution, he  said,  could  issue  only  in  fresh  Gordon  riots  and 
fresh  calamities.  He  had  been  travelling  in  the  Southern 
States.  He  had  seen  the  state  of  Mississippi  deserted  by  the 
whites,  and  falling  back  into  a black  wilderness.  He  had 
seen  South  Carolina,  which  had  narrowly  escaped  ruin  under 
a black  and  carpet-bagger  legislature,  and  had  recovered  it- 
self under  the  steady  determination  of  the  Americans  that  the 
civil  war  was  not  to  mean  the  domination  of  negro  over  white. 
The  danger  was  greater  in  the  English  islands  than  in  either 
of  these  states,  from  the  enormous  disproportion  of  numbers. 
The  experiment  could  be  ventured  only  under  a high  census 
and  a restricted  franchise,  but  the  experience  of  all  countries 
showed  that  these  limited  franchises  were  invidious  and 
could  not  be  maintained.  The  end  was  involved  in  the  be- 
ginning, and  he  trusted  that  prudent  counsels  would  prevail. 
"VVe  had  gone  too  far  already. 

On  board  also  there  was  a traveller  from  a Manchester 
house  of  business,  who  gave  me  a more  flourishing  account 
than  I expected  of  the  state  of  our  trade,  not  so  much  with 
the  English  islands  as  with  the  Spaniards  in  Cuba  and  on  the 
mainland.  His  own  house,  he  said,  had  a large  business  with 
Havana  ; twenty  firms  in  the  north  of  England  were  com- 
peting there,  and  all  were  doing  well.  The  Spanish  Ameri- 
cans on  the  west  side  of  the  continent  were  good  customers, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Mexicans,  who  were  energetic  and 
industrious,  and  manufactured  for  their  own  consumption. 
These  modern  Aztecs  were  skilful  workmen,  nimble-fingered 
and  inventive.  Wages  were  low,  but  they  were  contented 
with  them.  Mexico,  I was  surprised  to  hear  from  him,  was 
rising  fast  into  prosperity.  Whether  human  life  was  any 


340  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

safer  then  than  it  was  a few  years  ago,  he  did  not  tell 
me. 

Amidst  talk  and  chess  and  occasional  whist  after  nightfall 
when  reading  became  difficult,  we  ran  along  with  smooth 
seas,  land  sometimes  in  sight,  with  shoals  on  either  side 
of  us. 

We  were  to  have  one  more  glimpse  at  Hayti ; we  were  to 
touch  at  Port  au  Prince,  the  seat  of  government  of  the  suc- 
cessors of  Toussaint.  If  beauty  of  situation  could  mould 
human  character,  the  inhabitants  of  Port  au  Prince  might 
claim  to  be  the  first  of  mankind.  St.  Domingo  or  Espanola, 
of  which  Hayti  is  the  largest  division,  was  the  earliest  island 
discovered  by  Columbus  and  the  finest  in  the  Caribbean 
Ocean.  It  remained  Spanish,  as  I have  already  said,  for  200 
years,  when  Hayti  was  taken  by  the  French  buccaneers,  and 
made  over  by  them  to  Louis  XIV.  The  French  kept  it  till 
the  Revolution.  They  built  towns  ; they  laid  out  farms  and 
sugar  fields  ; they  planted  coffee  all  over  the  island,  where  it 
now  grows  wild.  Vast  herds  of  cattle  roamed  over  the  moun- 
tain ; splendid  houses  rose  over  the  rich  savannah.  The 
French  Church  put  out  its  strength  ; there  were  churches 
and  priests  in  every  parish  ; there  were  monasteries  and  nun- 
neries for  the  religious  orders.  So  firm  was  the  hold  that 
they  had  gained  that  Hayti,  like  Cuba,  seemed  to  have  been 
made  a part  of  the  old  world,  and  as  civilised  as  France  it- 
self. But  French  civilisation  became  itself  electric.  The 
Revolution  came,  and  the  reign  of  Liberty.  The  blacks  took 
arms ; they  surprised  the  plantations  ; they  made  a clean 
sweep  of  the  whole  French  population.  Yellow  fever  swept 
away  the  armies  which  were  sent  to  avenge  the  massacre,  and 
France  being  engaged  in  annexing  Europe  had  no  leisure  to 
despatch  more.  The  island  being  thus  derelict,  Spain  and 
England  both  tried  their  hand  to  recover  it,  but  failed  from 
the  same  cause,  and  a black  nation,  with  a republican  con- 


Port  Au  Prince. 


341 


stitution  and  a population  perhaps  of  about  a million  and 
a half  of  pure-blood  negroes,  has  since  been  in  unchallenged 
possession,  and  has  arrived  at  the  condition  which  has  been 
described  to  us  by  Sir  Spencer  St.  John.  Kepublics  which 
begin  with  murder  and  plunder  do  not  come  to  much  good 
in  this  world.  Hayti  has  passed  through  many  revolutions, 
and  is  no  nearer  than  at  first  to  stability.  The  present  presi- 
dent, M.  Salomon,  who  was  long  a refugee  in  Jamaica,  came 
into  power  a few  years  back  by  a turn  of  the  wheel.  He  was 
described  to  me  as  a peremptory  gentleman  who  made  quick 
work  with  his  political  opponents.  His  term  of  office  having 
nearly  expired,  he  had  re-elected  himself  shortly  before  for 
another  seven  years  and  was  prepared  to  maintain  his  right 
by  any  measures  which  he  might  think  expedient.  He  had  a 
few  regiments  of  soldiers,  who,  I was  told,  were  devoted  to 
him,  and  a fleet  consisting  of  two  gunboats  commanded  by  an 
American  officer  to  whom  he  chiefly  owed  his  security. 

We  had  steamed  along  the  Hayti  coast  all  one  afternoon, 
underneath  a high  range  of  hills  which  used  to  be  the  hunt- 
ing ground  of  the  buccaneers.  We  had  passed  their  famous 
Tortugas1  without  seeing  them.  Towards  evening  we  entered 
the  long  channel  between  Gonaive  island  and  the  mainland, 
going  slowly  that  we  might  not  arrive  at  Port  au  Prince  be- 
fore daylight.  It  was  six  in  the  morning  when  the  anchor 
rattled  down,  and  I went  on  deck  to  look  about  me.  We 
were  at  the  head  of  a fiord  rather  broader  than  those  in  Nor- 
way, but  very  like  them — wooded  mountains  rising  on  either 
side  of  us,  an  open  valley  in  front,  and  on  the  rich  level  soil 
washed  down  by  the  rains  and  deposited  along  the  shore,  the 
old  French  and  now  President  Salomon’s  capital.  Palms  and 
oranges  and  other  trees  were  growing  everywhere  among  the 
houses,  giving  the  impression  of  graceful  civilisation.  Di- 
rectly before  us  were  three  or  four  wooded  islets  which  form 
1 Tortoise  Islands  ; the  buccaneers’  head  quarters. 


342  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

a natural  breakwater,  and  above  them  were  seen  the  masts  of 
the  vessels  which  were  lying  in  the  harbour  behind.  Close 
to  where  we  were  brought  up  lay  the  ‘ Canada,’  an  English 
frigate,  and  about  a quarter  of  a mile  from  her  an  American 
frigate  of  about  the  same  size,  with  the  stars  and  stripes  con- 
spicuously flying.  We  have  had  some  differences  of  late  with 
the  Hayti  authorities,  and  the  satisfaction  which  we  asked  for 
having  been  refused  or  delayed,  a man-of-war  had  been  sent 
to  ask  redress  in  more  peremptory  terms.  The  town  lay 
under  her  guns  ; the  president’s  ships,  which  she  might  per- 
haps have  seized  as  a security,  had  been  taken  out  of  sight 
into  shallow  water,  where  she  could  not  follow  them.  The 
Americans  have  no  particular  rights  in  Hayti,  and  are  as  little 
liked  as  we  are,  but  they  are  feared,  and  they  do  not  allow 
any  business  of  a serious  kind  to  go  on  in  those  wTaters  with- 
out knowing  what  it  is  about.  Perhaps  the  president’s  admi- 
ral of  the  station  being  an  American  may  have  had  something 
to  do  with  their  presence.  Anyway,  there  the  two  ships  were 
lying  when  I came  up  from  below,  their  hulks  and  spars  out- 
lined picturesquely  against  the  steep  wooded  shores.  The 
air  was  hot  and  steamy  ; fishing-vessels  with  white  sails  were 
drifting  slowly  about  the  glassy  water.  Except  for  the  heat 
and  a black  officer  of  the  customs  in  uniform,  and  his  boat 
and  black  crew  alongside,  I could  have  believed  myself  off 
Molde  or  some  similar  Norwegian  town,  so  like  everything 
seemed,  even  to  the  colour  of  the  houses. 

We  were  to  stay  some  hours.  After  breakfast  we  landed. 
I had  seen  Jacmel,  and  therefore  thought  myself  prepared  for 
the  worst  which  I should  find.  Jacmel  was  an  outlying- 
symptom  ; Port  au  Prince  w'as  the  central  ulcer.  Long  before 
we  came  to  shore  there  came  off  whiffs,  not  of  drains  as  at 
Havana,  but  of  active  dirt  fermenting  in  the  sunlight.  Calling 
our  handkerchiefs  to  our  help  and  looking  to  our  feet  care- 
fully, we  stepped  up  upon  the  quay  and  walked  forward  as 


Port  Au  Prince. 


343 


judiciously  as  we  could.  With  the  help  of  stones  we  crossed 
a shallow  ditch,  where  rotten  fish,  vegetables,  and  other  articles 
were  lying  about  promiscuously,  and  we  came  on  what  did 
duty  for  a grand  parade. 

We  were  in  a Paris  of  the  gutter,  with  boulevards  and 
places,  fiacres  and  crimson  parasols.  The  boulevards  were 
littered  with  the  refuse  of  the  houses  and  were  foul  as  pig- 
sties, and  the  ladies  under  the  parasols  were  picking  their 
way  along  them  in  Parisian  boots  and  silk  dresses.  I saw  a 
fiacre  broken  down  in  a black  pool  out  of  which  a blacker 
ladyship  was  scrambling.  Fever  breeds  so  prodigally  in  that 
pestilential  squalor  that  40,000  people  were  estimated  to  have 
died  of  it  in  a single  year.  There  were  shops  and  stores  and 
streets,  men  and  women  in  tawdry  European  costume,  and 
officers  on  horseback  with  a tatter  of  lace  and  gilding.  We 
passed  up  the  principal  avenue,  which  opened  on  the  market 
place.  Above  the  market  was  the  cathedral,  more  hideous 
than  even  the  Mormon  temple  at  Salt  Lake.  It  was  full  of 
ladies  ; the  rank,  beauty,  and  fashion  of  Port  au  Prince  were 
at  their  morning  mass,  for  they  are  Catholics  with  African  be- 
liefs underneath.  They  have  a French  clergy,  an  archbishop 
and  bishop,  paid  miserably  but  still  subsisting  ; subsisting 
not  as  objects  of  reverence  at  all,  as  they  are  at  Dominica, 
but  as  the  humble  servants  and  ministers  of  black  society. 
We  English  are  in  bad  favour  just  now  ; no  wonder,  with  the 
guns  of  the  ‘ Canada  ’ pointed  at  the  city  ; but  the  chief  com- 
plaint is  on  account  of  Sir  Spencer  St.  John’s  book,  which 
they  cry  out  against  with  a degree  of  anger  which  is  the  sur- 
est evidence  of  its  truth.  It  would  be  unfair  even  to  hint  at 
the  names  or  stations  of  various  persons  who  gave  me  infor- 
mation about  the  condition  of  the  place  and  people.  Enough 
that  those  who  knew  well  what  they  were  speaking  about  as- 
sured me  that  Hayti  was  the  most  ridiculous  caricature  of 
civilisation  in  the  whole  world.  Doubtless  the  whites  there 


344  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

are  not  disinterested  witnesses  ; for  they  are  treated  as  they 
once  treated  the  blacks.  They  can  own  no  freehold  property, 
and  exist  only  on  tolerance.  They  are  called  ‘ white  trash.’ 
Black  dukes  and  marquises  drive  over  them  in  the  street  and 
swear  at  them,  and  they  consider  it  an  invasion  of  the  natu- 
ral order  of  things.  If  this  was  the  worst,  or  even  if  the  dirt 
and  the  disease  was  the  worst,  it  might  be  borne  with,  for  the 
whites  might  go  away  if  they  pleased,  and  they  pay  the  pen- 
alty themselves  for  choosing  to  be  there.  But  this  is  not  the 
worst.  Immorality  is  so  universal  that  it  almost  ceases  to  be 
a fault,  for  a fault  implies  an  exception,  and  in  Hayti  it  is  the 
rule.  Young  people  make  experiment  of  one  another  before 
they  w'ill  enter  into  any  closer  connection.  So  far  they  are 
no  worse  than  in  our  own  English  islands,  where  the  custom 
is  equally  general  ; but  behind  the  immorality,  behind  the 
religiosity,  there  lies  active  and  alive  the  horrible  revival  of 
the  West  African  superstitions  ; the  serpent  worship,  and 
the  child  sacrifice,  and  the  cannibalism.  There  is  no  room  to 
doubt  it.  A missionary  assured  me  that  an  instance  of  it  oc- 
curred only  a year  ago  within  his  own  personal  knowledge. 
The  facts  are  notorious  ; a full  account  was  published  in  one 
of  the  local  newspapers,  and  the  only  result  was  that  the 
president  imprisoned  the  editor  for  exposing  his  country.  A 
few  years  ago  persons  guilty  of  these  infamies  were  tried  and 
punished  ; now  they  are  left  alone,  because  to  prosecute  and 
convict  them  would  be  to  acknowledge  the  truth  of  the  in- 
dictment. 

In  this,  as  in  all  other  communities,  there  is  a better  side 
as  well  as  a worse.  The  better  part  is  ashamed  of  the  condi- 
tion into  which  the  country  has  fallen  ; rational  and  well-dis- 
posed Haytians  would  welcome  back  the  French  but  for  an 
impression,  whether  well  founded  or  ill  I know  not,  that  the 
Americans  would  not  suffer  any  European  nation  to  reacquire 
or  recover  any  new  territory  on  their  side  of  the  Atlantic. 


The  Blacks  in  Hayti. 


345 


They  make  the  most  they  can  of  their  French  connection. 
They  send  their  children  to  Paris  to  be  educated,  and  many 
of  them  go  thither  themselves.  There  is  money  among  them, 
though  industry  there  is  none.  The  Hayti  coffee  which  bears 
so  high  a reputation  is  simply  gathered  under  the  bushes 
which  the  French  planters  left  behind  them,  and  is  not  half  as 
excellent  as  it  ought  to  be  because  it  is  so  carelessly  cleaned, 
yet  so  rich  is  the  island  in  these  and  its  natural  productions 
that  they  cannot  entirely  ruin  it.  They  have  a revenue  from 
their  customs  of  5,000,000  dollars  to  be  the  prey  of  political 
schemers.  They  have  a constitution,  of  course,  with  a legis- 
lature— two  houses  of  a legislature — universal  suffrage,  &c., 
but  it  does  not  save  them  from  revolutions,  which  recurred 
every  two  or  three  years  till  the  time  of  the  present  president. 
He  being  of  stronger  metal  than  the  rest,  takes  care  that  the 
votes  are  given  as  he  pleases,  shoots  down  recusants,  and 
knows  how  to  make  himself  feared.  He  is  a giant,  they  say 
— I did  not  see  him — six  feet  some  inches  in  height  and  broad 
in  proportion.  When  in  Jamaica  he  was  a friend  of  Gordon, 
and  the  intimacy  between  them  is  worth  noting,  as  throwing 
light  on  Gordon’s  political  aspirations. 

I stayed  no  longer  than  the  ship’s  business  detained  the 
captain,  and  I breathed  more  freely  when  I had  left  that  mis- 
erable cross-birth  of  ferocity  and  philanthropic  sentiment. 
No  one  can  foretell  the  future  fate  of  the  black  republic,  but 
the  present  order  of  things  cannot  last  in  an  island  so  close 
under  the  American  shores.  If  the  Americans  forbid  any 
other  power  to  interfere,  they  will  have  to  interfere  them- 
selves. If  they  find  Mormonism  an  intolerable  blot  upon 
their  escutcheon,  they  will  have  to  put  a stop  in  some  way 
or  other  to  cannibalism  and  devil-worship.  Meanwhile,  the 
ninety  years  of  negro  self-government  have  had  their  use  in 
showing  what  it  really  means,  and  if  English  statesmen,  either 
to  save  themselves  trouble  or  to  please  the  prevailing  unin- 


346 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


structecT  sentiment,  insist  on  extending  it,  they  will  be  found 
when  the  accounts  are  made  up  to  have  been  no  better 
friends  to  the  unlucky  negro  than  their  slave-trading  fore- 
fathers. 

From  the  head  of  the  bay  on  which  Port  au  Prince  stands 
there  reaches  out  on  the  west  the  long  arm  or  peninsula 
which  is  so  peculiar  a feature  in  the  geography  of  the  island. 
The  arm  bone  is  a continuous  ridge  of  mountains  l’ising  to  a 
height  of  8,000  feet  and  stretching  for  160  miles.  At  the 
back  towards  the  ocean  is  Jacmel,  on  the  other  side  is  the 
bight  of  Leogane,  over  which  and  along  the  land  our  course 
lay  after  leaving  President  Salomon’s  city.  The  day  was  un- 
usually hot,  and  we  sat  under  an  awning  on  deck  watching 
the  changes  in  the  landscape  as  ravines  opened  and  closed 
again,  and  tall  peaks  changed  their  shapes  and  angles. 
Clouds  came  down  upon  the  mountain  tops  and  passed  off 
again,  whole  galleries  of  pictures  swept  by,  and  nature  never 
made  more  lovely  ones.  The  peculiarity  of  tropical  mountain 
scenery  is  that  the  high  summits  are  clothed  with  trees.  The 
outlines  are  thus  softened  and  rounded,  save  where  the  rock 
is  broken  into  precipices.  Along  the  sea  and  for  several 
miles  inland  are  the  Basses  Terres  as  they  used  to  be  called, 
level  alluvial  plains,  cut  and  watered  at  intervals  by  rivers, 
once  covered  with  thriving  plantations  and  now  a jungle. 
There  are  no  wild  beasts  there  save  an  occasional  man,  few 
snakes,  and  those  not  dangerous.  The  acres  of  richest  soil 
which  are  waiting  there  till  reasonable  beings  can  return  and 
cultivate  them,  must  be  hundreds  of  thousands.  In  the  val- 
leys and  on  the  slopes  there  are  all  gradations  of  climate, 
abundant  watei’,  grass  lands  that  might  be  black  with  cattle, 
or  on  the  loftier  ranges  white  with  sheep. 

It  is  strange  to  think  how  chequered  a history  these  islands 
have  had,  how  far  they  are  even  yet  from  any  condition  which 
promises  permanence.  Not  one  of  them  has  arrived  at  any 


West  Indian  History. 


347 


stable  independence.  Spaniards,  English  and  French,  Dutch 
and  Danes  scrambled  for  them,  fought  for  them,  occupied 
them  more  or  less  with  their  own  people,  but  it  was  not  to 
found  new  nations,  but  to  get  gold  or  get  something  which 
could  be  changed  for  gold.  Only  occasionally,  and  as  it  were 
by  accident,  they  became  the  theatre  of  any  grander  game. 
The  war  of  the  Reformation  was  carried  thither,  and  heroic 
deeds  were  done  there,  but  it  was  by  adventurers  who  were 
in  search  of  plunder  for  themselves.  France  and  England 
fought  among  the  Antilles,  and  their  names  are  connected 
with  many  a gallant  action ; but  they  fought  for  the  sov- 
ereignty of  the  seas,  not  for  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the 
French  or  English  inhabitants  of  the  islands.  Instead  of  oc- 
cupying them  with  free  inhabitants,  the  European  nations 
filled  them  with  slave  gangs.  They  were  valued  only  for  the 
wealth  which  they  yielded,  and  society  there  has  never  as- 
sumed any  particularly  noble  aspect.  There  has  been  splen- 
dour and  luxurious  living,  and  there  have  been  crimes  and 
horrors,  and  revolts  and  massacres.  There  has  been  romance, 
but  it  has  been  the  romance  of  pirates  and  outlaws.  The 
natural  graces  of  human  life  do  not  show  themselves  under 
such  conditions.  There  has  been  no  saint  in  the  West  Indies 
since  Las  Casas,  no  hero  unless  philonegro  enthusiasm  can 
make  one  out  of  Toussaint.  There  are  no  people  there  in  the 
true  sense  of  the  word,  with  a character  and  purpose  of  their 
own,  unless  to  some  extent  in  Cuba,  and  therefore  when  the 
wind  has  changed  and  the  wealth  for  which  the  islands  were 
alone  valued  is  no  longer  to  be  made  among  them,  and  sla- 
very is  no  longer  possible  and  would  not  pay  if  it  were,  there 
is  nothing  to  fall  back  upon.  The  palaces  of  the  English 
planters  and  merchants  fall  to  decay  ; their  wines  and  their 
furniture,  their  books  and  their  pictures,  are  sold  or  dispersed. 
Their  existence  is  a struggle  to  keep  afloat,  and  one  by  one 
they  go  under  in  the  waves. 


348  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

The  blacks  as  long  as  they  were  slaves  were  docile  and 
partially  civilised.  They  have  behaved  on  the  whole  well  in 
our  islands  since  their  emancipation,  for  though  they  were 
personally  free  the  whites  were  still  their  rulers,  and  they 
looked  up  to  them  with  respect.  They  have  acquired  land 
and  notions  of  property,  some  of  them  can  read,  many  of 
them  are  tolerable  workmen  and  some  excellent,  but  in  char- 
acter the  movement  is  backwards,  not  forwards.  Even  in 
Hayti,  after  the  first  outburst  of  ferocity,  a tolerable  govern- 
ment was  possible  for  a generation  or  two.  Orderly  habits 
are  not  immediately  lost,  but  the  effect  of  leaving  the  negro 
nature  to  itself  is  apparent  at  last.  In  the  English  islands 
they  are  innocently  happy  in  the  unconsciousness  of  the  obli- 
gations of  morality.  They  eat,  drink,  sleep,  and  smoke,  and  do 
the  least  in  the  way  of  work  that  they  can.  They  have  no 
ideas  of  duty,  and  therefore  are  not  made  uneasy  by  neglect- 
ing it.  One  or  other  of  them  occasionally  rises  in  the  legal 
or  other  profession,  but  there  is  no  sign,  not  the  slightest, 
that  the  generality  of  the  race  are  improving  either  in  intelli- 
gence or  moral  habits  ; all  the  evidence  is  the  other  way.  No 
Uncle  Tom,  no  Aunt  Chloe  need  be  looked  for  in  a negro’s 
cabin  in  the  West  Indies.  If  such  specimens  of  black  human- 
ity are  to  be  found  anywhere,  it  will  be  where  they  have  con- 
tinued under  the  old  influences  as  servants  in  white  men’s 
houses.  The  generality  are  mere  good-natured  animals,  who 
in  service  had  learnt  certain  accomplishments,  and  had  de- 
veloped certain  qualities  of  a higher  kind.  Left  to  them- 
selves they  fall  back  upon  the  superstitions  and  habits  of 
their  ancestors.  The  key  to  the  character  of  any  people  is  to 
be  found  in  the  local  customs  which  have  spontaneously  grown 
or  are  growing  among  them.  The  customs  of  Dahomey  have 
not  yet  shown  themselves  in  the  English  West  Indies  and 
never  can  while  the  English  authority  is  maintained,  but  no 
custom  of  any  kind  will  be  found  in  a negro  hut  or  village 


349 


Last  Impressions. 

from  which  his  most  sanguine  friend  can  derive  a hope  that 
he  is  on  the  way  to  mending  himself. 

Roses  do  not  grow  on  thorns,  nor  figs  on  thistles.  A 
healthy  human  civilisation  was  not  perhaps  to  be  looked  for 
in  countries  which  have  been  alternately  the  prey  of  avarice, 
ambition,  and  sentimentalism.  "We  visit  foreign  countries 
to  see  varieties  of  life  and  character,  to  learn  languages  that 
we  may  gain  an  insight  into  various  literatures,  to  see  man- 
ners unlike  our  own  springing  naturally  out  of  different  soils 
and  climates,  to  see  beautiful  works  of  art,  to  see  places  asso- 
ciated with  great  men  and  great  actions,  and  subsidiary  to 
these,  to  see  lakes  and  mountains,  and  strange  skies  and  seas. 
But  the  localities  of  great  events  and  the  homes  of  the  actors 
in  them  are  only  saddening  when  the  spiritual  results  are  dis- 
appointing, and  scenery  loses  its  charm  unless  the  grace  of 
humanity  is  in  the  heart  of  it.  To  the  man  of  science  the 
West  Indies  may  be  delightful  and  instructive.  Rocks  and 
trees  and  flowers  remain  as  they  always  were,  and  Nature  is 
constant  to  herself  ; but  the  traveller  whose  heart  is  with  his 
kind,  and  cares  only  to  see  his  brother  mortals  making  their 
corner  of  this  planet  into  an  orderly  and  rational  home,  had 
better  choose  some  other  object  for  his  pilgrimage. 


CHAPTER  XXL 


Return  to  Jamaica — Cherry  Garden  again — Black  servants — Social  con- 
ditions— Sir  Henry  Norman — King’s  House  once  more — Negro  suf- 
frage— The  will  of  the  people — The  Irish  python — Conditions  of  co- 
lonial union— Oratory  and  statesmanship. 

I had  to  return  to  Jamaica  from  Cuba  to  meet  the  mail  to 
England.  My  second  stay  could  be  but  brief.  For  the  short 
time  that  was  allowed  me  I went  back  to  my  hospitable 
friends  at  Cherry  Garden,  which  is  an  oasis  in  the  wilderness. 
In  the  heads  of  the  family  there  was  cultivation  and  simplicity 
and  sense.  There  was  a home  life  with  its  quiet  occupations 
and  enjoyments — serious  when  seriousness  was  needed,  light 
and  bright  in  the  ordinary  routine  of  existence.  The  black 
domestics,  far  unlike  the  children  of  liberty  whom  I had  left 
at  Port  au  Piince,  had  caught  their  tone  from  their  master 
and  mistress,  and  were  low-voiced,  humorous,  and  pleasant 
to  talk  with.  So  perfect  were  they  in  their  several  capacities, 
that,  like  the  girls  at  Government  House  at  Dominica,  I would 
have  liked  to  pack  them  in  my  portmanteau  and  carry  them 
home.  The  black  butler  received  me  on  my  arrival  as  an  old 
friend.  He  brought  me  a pair  of  boots  which  I had  left  be- 
hind me  on  my  first  visit ; he  told  me  ‘ the  female  ’ had  found 
them.  The  lady  of  the  house  took  me  out  for  a drive  with 
her.  The  coachman  upset  us  into  a ditch,  and  we  narrowly 
escaped  being  pitched  into  a ravine.  The  dusky  creature  in- 
sisted pathetically  that  it  was  not  his  fault,  nor  the  horse’s 
fault.  His  ebony  wife  had  left  him  for  a week’s  visit  to  a 
friend,  and  his  wits  had  gone  after  her.  Of  course  he  was 


Cherry  Garden  Again. 


351 


forgiven.  Cherry  Garden  was  a genuine  homestead,  a very 
menagerie  of  domestic  animals  of  all  sorts  and  breeds. 
Horses  loitered  under  the  shade  of  the  mangoes  ; cows, 
asses,  dogs,  turkeys,  cocks  and  hens,  geese,  guinea  fowl  and 
pea  fowl  lounged  and  strutted  about  the  paddocks.  In  the 
grey  of  the  morning  they  held  their  concerts ; the  asses 
brayed,  the  dogs  barked,  the  turkeys  gobbled,  and  the  pea 
fowl  screamed.  It  was  enough  to  waken  the  seven  sleepers, 
but  the  noises  seemed  so  home-like  and  natural  that  they 
mixed  pleasantly  in  one’s  dreams.  One  morning,  after  they 
had  been  holding  a special  jubilee,  the  butler  apologised  for 
them  when  he  came  to  call  me,  and  laughed  as  at  the  best  of 
jokes  when  I said  they  did  not  mean  any  harm.  The  great 
feature  of  the  day  was  five  cats,  with  blue  eyes  and  spotlessly 
white,  who  walked  in  regularly  at  breakfast,  ranged  them- 
selves on  their  tails  round  their  mistress’s  chair,  and  ate 
their  porridge  and  milk  like  reasonable  creatures.  Within 
and  without  all  was  orderly.  The  gardens  were  in  perfect 
condition  ; fields  were  being  inclosed  and  planted  ; the  work 
of  the  place  went  on  of  itself,  with  the  eye  of  the  mistress  on 
it,  and  her  voice,  if  necessary,  heard  in  command  ; but  black 
and  white  were  all  friends  together.  What  could  man  ask 
for,  more  than  to  live  all  his  days  in  such  a climate  and  with 
such  surroundings  ? Why  should  a realised  ideal  like  this 
pass  aw7ay  ? Why  may  it  not  extend  itself  till  it  has  trans- 
formed the  features  of  all  our  West  Indian  possessions  ? 
Thousands  of  English  families  might  be  living  in  similar 
scenes,  happy  in  themselves  and  spreading  round  them  a 
happy,  wholesome  English  atmosphere.  Why  not  indeed  ? 
Only  because  we  are  enchanted.  Because  in  Jamaica  and 
Barbadoes  the  white  planters  had  a constitution  granted  them 
two  hundred  years  ago,  therefore  their  emancipated  slaves 
must  now  have  a constitution  also.  Wonderful  logic  of  for- 
mulas, powerful  as  a witches’  cauldron  for  mischief  as  long 


352  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

as  it  is  believed  in.  The  colonies  and  the  Empire  ! If  the 
colonies  were  part  indeed  of  the  Empire,  if  they  were  taken 
into  partnership  as  the  Americans  take  theirs,  and  were  mem- 
bers of  an  organised  body,  if  an  injury  to  each  single  limb 
would  be  felt  as  an  injury  to  the  whole,  we  should  not  be 
playing  with  their  vital  interests  to  catch  votes  at  home. 
Alas  ! at  home  we  are  split  in  two,  and  party  is  more  than 
the  nation,  and  famous  statesmen,  thinly  disguising  their  mo- 
tives under  a mask  of  policy,  condemn  to-day  what  they  ap- 
proved of  yesterday,  and  catch  at  power  by  projects  which 
they  would  be  the  first  to  denounce  if  suggested  by  their  ad- 
versaries. Till  this  tyranny  be  overpast,  to  bring  into  one 
the  scattered  portions  of  the  Empire  is  the  idlest  of  dreams, 
and  the  most  that  is  to  be  hoped  for  is  to  arrest  any  active 
mischief.  Happy  Americans,  who  have  a Supreme  Court 
with  a code  of  fundamental  laws  to  control  the  vagaries  of 
politicians  and  check  the  passions  of  fluctuating  electoral  ma- 
jorities ! What  the  Supreme  Court  is  to  them,  the  Crown 
ought  to  be  for  us  ; but  the  Crown  is  powerless  and  must 
remain  powerless,  and  therefore  we  are  as  we  are,  and  our 
national  existence  is  made  the  shuttlecock  of  party  conten- 
tion. 

Time  passed  so  pleasantly  with  me  in  these  concluding 
days  that  I could  have  wished  it  to  be  the  nothing  which 
metaphysicians  say  that  it  is,  and  that  when  one  was  happy 
it  would  leave  one  alone.  We  wandered  in  the  shade  in  the 
mornings,  we  made  expeditions  in  the  evenings,  called  at 
friends’  houses,  and  listened  to  the  gossip  of  the  island.  It 
turned  usually  on  the  one  absorbing  subject — black  servants 
and  the  difficulty  of  dealing  with  them.  An  American  lady 
from  Pennsylvania  declared  emphatically  as  her  opinion  that 
emancipation  had  been  a piece  of  folly,  and  that  things  would 
never  mend  till  they  were  slaves  again. 

One  of  my  own  chief  hopes  in  going  originally  to  Jamaica 


Sir  Henry  If  or  man. 


353 


had  been  to  see  and  learn  the  views  of  the  distinguished 
Governor  there.  Sir  Henry  Norman  had  been  one  of  the 
most  eminent  of  the  soldier  civilians  in  India.  He  had 
brought  with  him  a brilliant  reputation  ; he  had  won  the 
confidence  in  the  West  Indies  of  all  classes  and  all  colours. 
He,  if  anyone,  would  understand  the  problem,  and  from  the 
high  vantage  ground  of  experience  would  know  what  could 
or  could  not  be  done  to  restore  the  influence  of  England  and 
the  prosperity  of  the  colonies.  Unfortunately,  Sir  Henry  had 
been  called  to  London,  as  I mentioned  before,  on  a question 
of  the  conduct  of  some  official,  and  I was  afraid  that  I should 
miss  him  altogether.  He  returned,  however,  the  day  before 
I was  to  sail.  He  was  kind  enough  to  ask  me  to  spend  an 
evening  with  him,  and  I was  again  on  my  last  night  a guest 
at  King’s  House. 

A dinner  party  offers  small  opportunity  for  serious  conver- 
sation, nor,  indeed,  could  I expect  a great  person  in  Sir 
Henry’s  position  to  enter  upon  subjects  of  consequence  with 
a stranger  like  myself.  I could  see,  however,  that  I had  noth- 
ing to  correct  in  the  impression  of  his  character  which  his 
reputation  had  led  me  to  form  about  him,  and  I wished  more 
than  ever  that  the  system  of  government  of  which  he  had 
been  so  admirable  a servant  in  India  could  be  applied  to  his 
present  position,  and  that  he  or  such  as  he  could  have  the 
administration  of  it.  We  had  common  friends  in  the  Indian 
service  to  talk  about ; one  e specialty,  Reynell  Taylor,  now 
dead,  who  had  been  the  earliest  of  my  boy  companions. 
Taylor  had  been  one  of  the  handful  of  English  who  held  the 
Punjaub  in  the  first  revolt  of  the  Sikhs.  With  a woman’s 
modesty  he  had  the  spirit  of  a knight-errant.  Sir  Henry 
described  him  as  the  ‘ very  soul  of  chivalry,’ and  seemed  him- 
self to  be  a man  of  the  same  pure  and  noble  nature,  perhaps 
liable,  from  the  generosity  of  his  temperament,  to  believe 
more  than  I could  do  in  modern  notions  and  in  modern  polit- 
23 


354  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

ical  heroes,  but  certainly  not  inclining  of  his  own  will  to  rec- 
ommend any  rash  innovations.  I perceived  that  like  myself 
he  felt  no  regret  that  so  much  of  the  soil  of  Jamaica  was  pass- 
ing to  peasant  black  proprietors.  He  thought  well  of  their 
natural  disposition  ; he  believed  them  capable  of  improve- 
ment. He  thought  that  the  possession  of  land  of  their  own 
would  bring  them  into  voluntary  industry,  and  lead  them 
gradually  to  the  adoption  of  civilised  habits.  He  spoke  with 
reserve,  and  perhaps  I may  not  have  understood  him  fully, 
but  he  did  not  seem  to  me  to  think  much  of  their  political 
capacity.  The  local  boards  which  have  been  established  as 
an  education  for  higher  functions  have  not  been  a success. 
They  had  been  described  to  me  in  all  parts  of  the  island  as 
inflamed  centres  of  peculation  and  mismanagement.  Sir 
Henry  said  nothing  from  which  I could  gather  his  own  opin- 
ion. I inferred,  however  (he  will  pardon  me  if  I misrepre- 
sent him),  that  he  had  no  great  belief  in  a federation  of  the 
islands,  in  * responsible  government,’  and  such  like,  as  within 
the  bounds  of  present  possibilities.  Nor  did  he  think  that 
responsible  statesmen  at  home  had  any  such  arrangement  in 
view. 

That  such  an  arrangement  was  in  contemplation  a few 
years  ago,  I knew  from  competent  authority7.  Perhaps  the 
unexpected  interest  which  the  English  people  have  lately 
shown  in  the  colonies  has  modified  opinion  in  those  high 
circles,  and  has  taught  politicians  that  they  must  advance 
more  cautiously.  But  the  wind  still  sits  in  the  old  quarter. 
Three  years  ago,  the  self-suppressed  constitution  in  Jamaica 
was  partially  re-established.  A franchise  was  conceded  both 
there  and  in  Barbadoes  which  gave  every  black  householder 
a vote.  Even  in  poor  Dominica,  an  extended  suffrage  was 
hung  out  as  a remedy  for  its  wretchedness.  If  nothing 
further  is  intended,  these  concessions  have  been  gratuitously 
mischievous.  It  has  roused  the  hopes  of  political  agitators, 


Negro  Suffrage. 


355 


not  in  Jamaica  only,  but  all  over  tlie  Antilles.  It  has  taught 
the  people,  who  have  no  grievances  at  all,  who  in  their  pres- 
ent state  are  better  protected  than  any  peasantry  in  the 
world  except  the  Irish,  to  look  to  political  changes  as  a road 
to  an  impossible  millennium.  It  has  rekindled  hopes  which 
had  been  long  extinguished,  that,  like  their  brothers  in  Hayti, 
they  were  on  the  way  to  have  the  islands  to  themselves.  It  has 
alienated  the  English  colonists,  filled  them  with  the  worst  ap- 
prehensions, and  taught  them  to  look  wistfully  from  their  own 
country  to  a union  with  America.  A few  elected  members 
in  a council  where  they  may  be  counterbalanced  by  an  equal 
number  of  official  members  seems  a small  thing  in  itself.  So 
long  as  the  equality  was  maintained,  my  Yankee  friend  was 
still  willing  to  risk  his  capital  in  Jamaican  enterprises.  But 
the  principle  has  been  allowed.  The  existing  arrangement 
is  a half-measure  which  satisfies  none  and  irritates  all,  and 
collisions  between  the  representatives  of  the  people  and  the 
nominees  of  the  Government  are  only  avoided  by  leaving  a 
sufficient  number  of  official  seats  unfilled.  To  have  re-en- 
tered upon  a road  where  you  cannot  stand  still,  where  re- 
treat is  impossible,  and  where  to  go  forward  can  only  be  rec- 
ommended on  the  hypothesis  that  to  give  a man  a vote  will 
itself  qualify  him  for  the  use  of  it,  has  been  one  of  the  minor 
achievements  of  the  last  Government  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  and 
is  likely  to  be  as  successful  as  his  larger  exploits  nearer  home 
have  as  yet  proved  to  be.  A supreme  court,  were  we  happy 
enough  to  possess  such  a thing,  would  forbid  these  venturous 
experiments  of  sanguine  statesmen  who  may  happen,  for  a 
moment,  to  command  a trifling  majority  in  the  House  of 
Commons. 

I could  not  say  what  I felt  completely  to  Sir  Henry,  who. 
perhaps,  had  been  in  personal  relations  with  Mr.  Gladstone’s 
Government.  Perhaps,  too,  he  was  one  of  those  numerous 
persons  of  tried  ability  and  intelligence  who  have  only  a faint 


356 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


belief  that  the  connection  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
colonies  can  be  of  long  continuance.  I inferred  that  it  might 
be  so,  because  when  I mentioned  the  irritation  which  I had 
observed  in  Melbourne  about  the  German  annexation  in  New 
Guinea  he  seemed  to  think  that  we  might  have  left  the  Vic- 
torians and  the  Germans  to  fight  out  the  quarrel  among  them- 
selves. The  injury — if  it  was  one — was  to  the  Australians, 
not  to  us.  The  Australians  might  have  borne  their  own  re- 
sponsibilities, and  we  could  have  been  merely  spectators. 
That  such  a view  could  be  entertained  and  expressed  by  the 
governor  of  a considerable  colony  is  an  evidence  how  little 
below  the  surface  the  idea  of  Imperial  federation  has  as  yet 
penetrated.  The  Australians  are  either  British  subjects  or 
they  are  not.  If  they  are  not,  the  connection  is  a shadow, 
and  it  is  as  well  to  have  done  with  illusions.  If  they  are 
British  subjects,  the  nation  with  whom  they  quarrel  will  ac- 
knowledge no  fine  distinctions,  and  will  fix  the  responsibility 
where  it  rightly  belongs.  To  leave  a colony  to  go  to  war  on 
its  own  account  is  to  leave  the  peace  of  the  Empire  at  the 
mercy  of  any  one  of  its  dependencies.  So  obvious  is  this, 
that  Sir  Henry’s  observation  was  perhaps  no  more  than  gentle 
irony.  The  public  may  amuse  themselves  with  the  vision  of 
an  Imperial  union  ; practical  statesmen  believe  that  they  know 
it  to  be  impossible. 

As  to  the  West  Indies  there  are  but  two  genuine  alterna- 
tives : one  to  leave  them  to  themselves  to  shape  their  own 
destinies,  as  we  leave  Australia  ; the  other  to  govern  them  as 
if  they  were  a part  of  Great  Britain  with  the  same  scrupulous 
care  of  the  people  and  their  interests  with  which  we  govern 
Bengal,  Madras,  and  Bombay.  England  is  responsible  for 
the  social  condition  of  those  islands.  She  filled  them  with 
negroes  when  it  was  her  interest  to  maintain  slavery,  she 
emancipated  those  negroes  when  popular  opinion  at  home 
demanded  that  slavery  should  end.  It  appears  to  me  that 


Alternative  Courses. 


357 


England  ought  to  bear  the  consequences  of  her  own  actions, 
and  assume  to  herself  the  responsibilities  of  a state  of  things 
which  she  has  herself  created.  We  are  partly  unwilling  to 
take  the  trouble,  partly  we  cling  to  the  popular  belief  that  to 
trust  all  countries  with  the  care  of  their  own  concerns  is  the 
way  to  raise  the  character  of  the  inhabitants  and  to  make  them 
happy  and  contented.  We  dimly  perceive  that  the  population 
of  the  West  Indies  is  not  a natural  growth  of  internal  tenden- 
cies and  circumstances,  and  we  therefore  hesitate  before  we 
plunge  completely  and  entirely  into  the  downward  course ; 
but  we  play  with  it,  we  drift  towards  it,  we  advance  as  far  as 
we  dare,  giving  them  the  evils  of  both  systems  and  the  ad- 
vantages of  neither.  At  the  same  moment  we  extend  the 
suffrage  to  the  blacks  with  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  we 
refuse  to  our  own  people  the  benefit  of  a treaty  which  would 
have  rescued  them  from  imminent  ruin  and  brought  them 
into  relations  with  their  powerful  kindred  close  at  hand — re- 
lations which  might  save  them  from  the  most  dangerous  con- 
sequences of  a negro  political  supremacy — and  the  result  is 
that  the  English  in  those  islands  are  melting  away  and  will 
soon  be  crowded  out,  or  will  have  departed  of  themselves  in 
disgust.  A policy  so  far-reaching,  and  affecting  so  seriously 
the  condition  of  the  oldest  of  our  colonial  possessions,  ought 
not  to  have  been  adopted  on  their  own  authority,  by  doctri- 
naire statesmen  in  a cabinet,  without  fully  and  frankly  consult- 
ing the  English  nation  ; and  no  further  step  ought  to  be 
taken  in  that  direction  until  the  nation  has  had  the  circum- 
stances of  the  islands  laid  before  it,  and  has  pronounced  one 
way  or  the  other  its  own  sovereign  pleasure.  Does  or  does 
not  England  desire  that  her  own  people  shall  be  enabled  to 
live  and  thrive  in  the  "West  Indies?  If  she  decides  that  her 
hands  are  too  full,  that  she  is  over-empired  and  cannot  at- 
tend to  them — cadit  qucestio — there  is  no  more  to  be  said. 
But  if  this  is  her  resolution  the  hands  of  the  West  Indians 


358 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


ought  to  be  untied.  They  ought  to  be  allowed  to  make  their 
sugar  treaties,  to  make  any  treaties,  to  enter  into  the  closest 
relations  with  America  which  the  Americans  will  accept,  as 
the  only  chance  which  will  be  left  them. 

Such  abandonment,  however,  will  bring  us  no  honour.  It 
will  not  further  that  federation  of  the  British  Empire  which 
so  many  of  us  now  profess  to  desire.  If  we  wish  Australia 
and  Canada  to  draw  into  closer  union  with  us,  it  will  not  be 
by  showing  that  we  are  unable  to  manage  a group  of  colonies 
which  are  almost  at  our  doors.  Englishmen  all  round  the 
globe  have  rejoiced  together  in  this  year  which  is  passing  by 
us  over  the  greatness  of  their  inheritance,  and  have  celebrated 
with  enthusiasm  the  half-century  during  which  our  lady-mis- 
tress has  reigned  over  the  Empire.  Unity  and  federation  are 
on  our  lips,  and  we  have  our  leagues  and  our  institutes,  and 
in  the  eagerness  of  our  wishes  we  dream  that  we  see  the  ful- 
filment of  them.  Neither  the  kingdom  of  heaven  nor  any 
other  kingdom  ‘comes  with  observation.’  It  comes  not  with 
after-dinner  speeches  however  eloquent,  or  with  flowing  sen- 
timents however  for  the  moment  sincere.  The  spirit  which 
made  the  Empire  can  alone  hold  it  together.  The  American 
Union  was  not  saved  by  oratory.  It  was  saved  by  the  deter- 
mination of  the  bravest  of  the  people  ; it  was  cemented  by 
the  blood  which  dyed  the  slopes  of  Gettysburg.  The  union 
of  the  British  Empire,  if  it  is  to  be  more  than  a dream,  can 
continue  only  while  the  attracting  force  of  the  primary  com- 
mands the  willing  attendance  of  the  distant  satellites.  Let 
the  magnet  lose  its  power,  let  the  confidence  of  the  colonies 
in  the  strength  and  resolution  of  their  central  orb  be  once 
shaken,  and  the  centrifugal  force  will  sweep  them  away  into 
orbits  of  their  own. 

The  race  of  men  who  now  inhabit  this  island  of  ours  show 
no  signs  of  degeneracy.  The  bow  of  Ulysses  is  sound  as  ever ; 
moths  and  worms  have  not  injured  either  cord  or  horn  ; but 


Conciliation. 


359 


it  is  unstrung,  and  tlie  arrows  which  are  shot  from  it  drop 
feebly  to  the  ground.  The  Irish  python  rises  again  out  of  its 
swamp,  and  Phoebus  Apollo  launches  no  shaft  against  the 
scaly  sides  of  it.  Phoebus  Apollo  attempts  the  milder  methods 
of  concession  and  persuasion.  ‘Python,’ he  says,  ‘in  days 
when  I was  ignorant  and  unjust  I struck  you  down  and  bound 
you.  I left  officers  and  men  with  you  of  my  own  race  to 
watch  you,  to  teach  you,  to  rule  you  ; to  force  you,  if  your 
own  nature  could  not  be  changed,  to  leave  your  venomous 
ways.  You  have  refused  to  be  taught,  you  twist  in  your 
chains,  you  bite  and  tear,  and  when  you  can  you  steal  and 
murder.  I see  that  I was  wrong  from  the  first.  Every  creat- 
ure has  a right  to  live  according  to  its  own  disposition.  I 
was  a tyrant,  and  you  did  well  to  resist ; I ask  you  to  forgive 
and  forget.  I set  you  free  ; I hand  you  over  my  own  repre- 
sentatives as  a pledge  of  my  goodwill,  that  you  may  devour 
them  at  your  leisure.  They  have  been  the  instruments  of 
my  oppression  ; consume  them,  destroy  them,  do  what  you 
will  with  them : and  henceforward  I hope  that  we  shall  live 
together  as  friends,  and  that  you  will  show  yourself  worthy 
of  my  generosity  and  of  the  freedom  which  you  have  so  glo- 
riously won.’ 

A sun-god  who  thus  addressed  a disobedient  satellite 
might  have  the  eloquence  of  a Demosthenes  and  the  finest  of 
the  fine  intentions  which  pave  the  road  to  the  wrong  place, 
but  he  would  not  be  a divinity  who  would  command  the  will- 
ing confidence  of  a high-spirited  kindred.  Great  Britain  will 
make  the  tie  which  holds  the  colonies  to  her  a real  one  when 
she  shows  them  and  shows  the  world  that  she  is  still  equal  to 
her  great  place,  that  her  arm  is  not  shortened  and  her  heart 
has  not  grown  faint. 

Men  speak  of  the  sacredness  of  liberty.  They  talk  as  if 
the  will  of  everyone  ought  to  be  his  only  guide,  that  alle- 
giance is  due  only  to  majorities,  that  allegiance  of  any  other 


300 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


kind  is  base  and  a relic  of  servitude.  The  Americans  are  the 
freest  people  in  the  world  ; but  in  their  freedom  they  have  to 
obey  the  fundamental  laws  of  the  Union.  Again  and  again 
in  the  West  Indies  Mr.  Motley’s  words  came  back  to  me.  To 
be  taken  into  the  American  Union  is  to  be  adopted  into  a 
partnership.  To  belong  as  a Crown  colony  to  the  British 
Empire,  as  things  stand,  is  no  partnership  at  all.  It  is  to  be- 
long to  a power  which  sacrifices,  as  it  has  always  sacrificed, 
the  interest  of  its  dependencies  to  its  own.  The  blood  runs 
freely  through  every  vein  and  artery  of  the  American  body 
corporate.  Every  single  citizen  feels  his  share  in  the  life  of 
his  nation.  Great  Britain  leaves  her  Crown  colonies  to  take 
care  of  themselves,  refuses  what  they  ask,  and  forces  on  them 
what  they  had  rather  be  without.  If  I were  a West  Indian  I 
should  feel  that  under  the  stars  and  stripes  I should  be  safer 
than  I was  at  present  from  political  experimenting.  I 
should  have  a market  in  which  to  sell  my  produce  where  I 
should  be  treated  as  a friend  ; I should  have  a power  behind 
me  and  protecting  me,  and  I should  have  a future  to  which 
I could  look  forward  with  confidence.  America  would  re- 
store me  to  hope  and  life  ; Great  Britain  allows  me  to  sink, 
contenting  herself  with  advising  me  to  be  patient.  Why 
should  I continue  loyal  when  my  loyalty  was  so  contemptu- 
ously valued  ? 

But  I will  not  believe  that  it  will  come  to  this.  An  Eng- 
lishman may  be  heavily  tempted,  but  in  evil  fortune  as  in 
good  his  heart  is  in  the  old  place.  The  administration  of 
our  affairs  is  taken  for  the  present  from  prudent  statesmen, 
and  is  made  over  to  those  who  know  how  best  to  flatter  the 
people  with  fine-sounding  sentiments  and  idle  adulation.  All 
sovereigns  have  been  undone  by  flatterers.  The  people  are 
sovereign  now,  and,  being  new  to  power,  listen  to  those  who 
feed  their  vanity.  The  popular  orator  has  been  the  ruin  of 
every  country  which  has  trusted  to  him.  He  never  speaks 


Oratorical  Statesmen. 


361 


an  unwelcome  truth,  for  his  existence  depends  on  pleasing, 
and  he  cares  only  to  tickle  the  ears  of  his  audience.  His 
element  is  anarchy  ; his  function  is  to  undo  what  better  men 
have  done.  In  wind  he  lives  and  moves  and  has  his  being. 
When  the  gods  are  angry,  he  can  raise  it  to  a hurricane  and 
lay  waste  whole  nations  in  ruin  and  revolution.  It  was  said 
long  ago,  a man  full  of  words  shall  not  prosper  upon  the 
earth.  Times  have  changed,  for  in  these  days  no  one  pros- 
pers so  well.  Can  he  make  a speech  ? is  the  first  question 
which  the  constituencies  ask  when  a candidate  is  offered  to 
their  suffrages.  When  the  Roman  commonwealth  developed 
from  an  aristocratic  republic  into  a democracy,  and,  as  now 
with  us,  the  sovereignty  was  in  the  mass  of  the  people,  the 
oratorical  faculty  came  to  the  front  in  the  same  way.  The 
finest  speaker  was  esteemed  the  fittest  man  to  be  made  a 
consul  or  a praetor  of,  and  there  were  schools  of  rhetoric 
where  aspirants  for  office  had  to  go  to  learn  gesture  and  in- 
tonation before  they  could  present  themselves  at  the  hustings. 
The  sovereign  people  and  their  orators  could  do  much,  but 
they  could  not  alter  facts,  or  make  that  which  was  not,  to  be, 
or  that  which  was,  not  to  be.  The  orators  could  perorate 
and  the  people  could  decree,  but  facts  remained  and  facts 
proved  the  strongest,  and  the  end  of  that  was  that  after  a 
short  supremacy  the  empire  which  they  had  brought  to  the 
edge  of  ruin  was  saved  at  the  last  extremity  ; the  sovereign 
people  lost  their  liberties,  and  the  tongues  of  political  orators 
were  silenced  for  centuries.  Illusion  at  last  takes  the  form 
of  broken  heads,  and  the  most  obstinate  credulity  is  not 
proof  against  that  form  of  argument. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


Going  liome — Retrospect — Alternative  courses— Future  of  the  Empire 
— Sovereignty  of  the  sea — The  Greeks — The  rights  of  man — Plato — 
The  voice  of  the  people — Imperial  federation — Hereditary  colonial 
policy — New  Irelands — Effects  of  party  government. 

Once  more  upon  tlie  sea  on  our  homeward  way,  carrying,  as 
Emerson  said,  ‘ the  bag  of  .ZEolus  in  the  boiler  of  our  boat,’ 
careless  whether  there  be  wind  or  calm.  Our  old  naval 
heroes  passed  and  repassed  upon  the  same  waters  under 
harder  conditions.  They  had  to  struggle  against  tempests,  to 
fight  with  enemy’s  cruisers,  to  battle  for  their  lives  with 
nature  as  with  man — and  they  were  victorious  over  them  all. 
They  won  for  Britannia  the  sceptre  of  the  sea,  and  built  up 
the  Empire  on  which  the  sun  never  sets.  To  us,  their  suc- 
cessors, they  handed  down  the  splendid  inheritance,  and  we 
in  turn  have  invented  steam  ships  and  telegraphs,  and  thrown 
bridges  over  the  ocean,  and  made  our  far-off  possessions  as 
easy  of  access  as  the  nest  parish.  The  attractive  force  of  the 
primary  ought  to  have  increased  in  the  same  ratio,  but  we  do 
not  find  that  it  has,  and  the  centrifugal  and  the  centripetal 
tendencies  of  our  satellites  are  year  by  year  becoming  more 
nicely  balanced.  These  beautiful  West  Indian  islands  were 
intended  to  be  homes  for  the  overflowing  numbers  of  our 
own  race,  and  the  few  that  have  gone  there  are  being  crowded 
out  by  the  blacks  from  Jamaica  and  the  Antilles.  Our  poor 
helots  at  home  drag  on  their  lives  in  the  lanes  and  alleys  of 
our  choking  cities,  and  of  those  who  gather  heart  to  break  off 
on  their  own  account  and  seek  elsewhere  for  a land  of  prom- 


To  Be  or  Not  to  Be. 


363 


ise,  the  large  majority  are  weary  of  the  flag  under  which  they 
have  only  known  suffering,  and  prefer  America  to  the  English 
colonies.  They  are  waking  now  to  understand  the  opportuni- 
ties which  are  slipping  through  their  hands.  Has  the  awak- 
ening come  too  late  ? We  have  ourselves  mixed  the  cup ; 
must  we  now  drink  it  to  the  dregs  ? 

It  is  too  late  to  enable  us  to  make  homes  in  the  West  In- 
dies for  the  swarms  who  are  thrown  off  by  our  own  towns 
and  villages.  We  might  have  done  it.  Englishmen  would 
have  thriven  as  well  in  Jamaica  and  the  Antilles  as  the 
Spaniards  have  thriven  in  Cuba.  But  the  islands  are  now 
peopled  by  men  of  another  colour.  The  whites  there  are  as 
units  among  hundreds,  and  the  proportion  cannot  be  altered. 
But  it  is  not  too  late  to  redeem  our  own  responsibilities. 
We  brought  the  blacks  there  ; we  have  as  yet  not  done  much 
for  their  improvement,  when  their  notions  of  morality  are 
still  so  elementary  that  more  than  half  of  their  children 
are  born  out  of  marriage.  The  English  planters  were  en- 
couraged to  settle  there  when  it  suited  our  convenience  to 
maintain  the  islands  for  Imperial  purposes  ; like  the  land- 
lords in  Ireland,  they  were  our  English  garrison  ; and  as 
with  the  landlords  in  Ireland,  when  we  imagine  that  they 
have  served  their  purpose  and  can  be  no  longer  of  use  to 
us,  we  calmly  change  the  conditions  of  society.  We  disclaim 
obligations  to  help  them  in  the  confusion  which  we  have 
introduced  ; we  tell  them  to  help  themselves,  and  they  can- 
not help  themselves  in  such  an  element  as  that  in  which 
they  are  now  struggling,  unless  they  know  that  they  may 
count  on  the  sympathy  and  the  support  of  their  countrymen 
at  home.  Nothing  is  demanded  of  the  English  exchequer  ; 
the  resources  of  the  islands  are  practically  boundless ; there 
is  a robust  population  conscious  at  the  bottom  of  their  nature 
of  their  own  inferiority,  and  docile  and  willing  to  work  if 
any  one  will  direct  them  and  set  them  to  it.  There  will  be 


364 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 


capital  enough  forthcoming,  and  energetic  men  enough  and 
intelligence  enough,  if  we  on  our  part  will  provide  one  thing, 
the  easiest  of  all  if  we  really  set  our  minds  to  it — an  effective 
and  authoritative  government.  It  is  not  safe  even  for  our- 
selves to  leave  a wound  unattended  to,  though  it  be  in  the 
least  significant  part  of  our  bodies.  The  West  Indies  are  a 
small  limb  in  the  great  body  corporate  of  the  British  Em- 
pire, but  there  is  no  great  and  no  small  in  the  life  of  nations. 
The  avoidable  decay  of  the  smallest  member  is  an  injury  to 
the  whole.  Let  it  be  once  known  and  felt  that  England  re- 
gards the  West  Indies  as  essentially  one  with  herself,  and 
the  English  in  the  islands  will  resume  their  natural  position, 
and  respect  and  order  will  come  back,  and  those  once  thriv- 
ing colonies  will  again  advance  with  the  rest  on  the  high 
road  of  civilisation  and  prosperity.  Let  it  be  known  that 
England  considers  only  her  immediate  interests  and  will  not 
exert  herself,  and  the  other  colonies  will  know  what  they  have 
to  count  upon,  and  the  British  Empire  will  dwindle  down  be- 
fore long  into  a single  insignificant  island  in  the  North  Sea. 

So  end  the  reflections  which  I formed  there  from  what  I 
saw  and  what  I heard.  I have  written  as  an  outside  ob- 
server unconnected  with  practical  politics,  with  no  motive 
except  a loyal  pride  in  the  greatness  of  my  own  country,  and 
a conviction,  which  I will  not  believe  to  be  a dream,  that 
the  destinies  have  still  in  store  for  her  a yet  grander  future. 
The  units  of  us  come  and  go  ; the  British  Empire,  the  globe 
itself  and  all  that  it  inherits,  will  pass  away  as  a vision. 


etraerai  '7/ pap  oto.v  ttot  o\o'\ri  “'IAi os  ipTi, 

Kal  Uplapos  Kal  A abs  evpp.e\lo)  Hpidpoto. 

The  day  will  be  when  Ilium’s  towers  may  fall, 

And  large-limbed  1 Priam,  and  his  people  all. 

1 1 believe  this  to  be  the  true  meaning  of  ivp.p.e\lris.  It  is  usually 
rendered,  1 armed  with  a stout  spear.’ 


365 


Going  Home. 

But  that  day  cannot  be  yet.  Out  of  the  now  half-organic 
fragments  will  yet  be  formed  one  living  Imperial  power,  with 
a new  era  of  beneficence  and  usefulness  to  mankind.  The 
English  people  are  spread  far  and  wide.  The  sea  is  their 
dominion,  and  their  land  is  the  finest  portion  of  the  globe. 
It  is  theirs  now,  it  will  be  theirs  for  ages  to  come  if  they  re- 
main themselves  unchanged  and  keep  the  heart  and  temper 
of  their  forefathers. 

Naught  shall  make  us  rue, 

If  England  to  herself  do  rest  but  true. 

The  days  pass,  and  our  ship  flies  fast  upon  her  way. 

ykavKbf  uTrbp  olSfia  Kvavixpoo.  re  icvparwit 
p68ia  iroAict  6aAd<T<ras. 

How  perfect  the  description ! How  exactly  in  those  eight 
words  Euripides  draws  the  picture  of  the  ocean  ; the  long 
grey  heaving  swell,  the  darker  steel-grey  on  the  shadowed 
slope  of  the  surface  waves,  and  the  foam  on  their  breaking- 
crests.  Our  thoughts  flow  back  as  we  gaze  to  the  times  long- 
ago,  when  the  earth  belonged  to  other  races  as  it  now  belongs 
to  us.  The  ocean  is  the  same  as  it  was.  Their  eyes  saw  it 
as  we  see  it : 

Time  writes  no  wrinkle  on  that  azure  brow. 

Nor  is  the  ocean  alone  the  same.  Human  nature  is  still 
vexed  with  the  same  problems,  mocked  with  the  same  hopes, 
wandering  after  the  same  illusions.  The  sea  affected  the 
Greeks  as  it  affects  us,  and  was  equally  dear  to  them.  It  was 
a Greek  who  said,  ‘ The  sea  washes  off  all  the  ills  of  men  ; ’ 
the  ‘ stainless  one  ’ as  iEschylus  called  it — the  eternally  pure. 
On  long  voyages  I take  Greeks  as  my  best  companions.  I 
had  Plato  with  me  on  my  way  home  from  the  West  Indies. 
He  lived  and  wrote  in  an  age  like  ours,  when  religion  had 


366 


The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

become  a debatable  subject  on  which  everyone  had  his  opin- 
ion, and  democracy  was  master  of  the  civilised  world,  and  the 
Mediterranean  states  were  running  wild  after  liberty,  pre- 
paratory to  the  bursting  of  the  bubble.  Looking  out  on  such 
a world  Plato  left  thoughts  behind  him  the  very  language  of 
which  is  as  full  of  application  to  our  own  larger  world  as  if 
it  was  written  yesterday.  It  throws  light  on  small  things 
as  well  as  large,  and  interprets  alike  the  condition  of  the  isl- 
ands which  I had  left,  the  condition  of  England,  the  condition 
of  all  civilised  countries  in  this  modern  epoch. 

The  chief  characteristic  of  this  age,  as  it  was  the  chief 
characteristic  of  Plato’s,  is  the  struggle  for  what  we  call  the 
‘rights  of  man.’  In  other  times  the  thing  insisted  on  was 
that  men  should  do  what  was  ‘ right  ’ as  something  due  to  a 
higher  authority.  Now  the  demand  is  for  what  is  called  their 
‘rights’  as  something  due  to  themselves,  and  among  these 
rights  is  a right  to  liberty  ; liberty  meaning  the  utmost  pos- 
sible freedom  of  every  man  consistent  with  the  freedom  of 
others,  and  the  abolition  of  every  kind  of  authority  of  one 
man  over  another.  It  is  with  this  view  that  we  have  intro- 
duced popular  suffrage,  that  we  give  every  one  a vote,  or  aim 
at  giving  it,  as  the  highest  political  perfection. 

We  turn  to  Plato  and  we  find:  ‘In  a healthy  community 
there  ought  to  be  some  authority  over  every  single  man  and 
woman.  No  person — not  one — ought  to  act  on  his  or  her 
judgment  alone  even  in  the  smallest  trifle.  The  soldier  on  a 
campaign  obeys  his  commander  in  little  things  as  well  as 
great.  The  safety  of  the  army  requires  it.  But  it  is  in  peace 
as  it  is  in  war,  and  there  is  no  difference.  Every  person 
should  be  trained  from  childhood  to  rule  and  to  be  ruled. 
So  only  can  the  life  of  man,  and  the  life  of  all  creatures  de- 
pendent on  him,  be  delivered  from  anarchy.’ 

It  is  worth  while  to  observe  how  diametrically  opposite  to 
our  notions  on  this  subject  were  the  notions  of  a man  of  the 


The  Voice  of  the  People. 


367 


finest  intellect,  with  the  fullest  opportunities  of  observation, 
and  every  one  of  whose  estimates  of  things  was  confirmed  by 
the  event.  Such  a discipline  as  he  recommends  never  existed 
in  any  community  of  men  except  perhaps  among  the  religious 
orders  in  the  enthusiasm  of  their  first  institution,  nor  would 
a society  be  long  tolerable  in  which  it  was  tried.  Communi- 
ties, however,  have  existed  where  people  have  thought  more 
of  their  obligations  than  of  their  ‘rights,’  more  of  the  welfare 
of  their  country,  or  of  the  success  of  a cause  to  which  they 
have  devoted  themselves,  than  of  their  personal  pleasure  or 
interest — have  preferred  the  wise  leading  of  superior  men  to 
their  own  wills  or  wishes.  Nay,  perhaps  no  community  has 
ever  continued  long,  or  has  made  a mark  in  the  world  of  seri- 
ous significance,  where  society  has  not  been  graduated  in  de- 
grees, and  there  have  not  been  deeper  and  stronger  bands  of 
coherence  than  the  fluctuating  votes  of  majorities. 

Times  are  changed  we  are  told.  We  live  in  a new  era, 
when  public  opinion  is  king,  and  no  other  rule  is  possible  ; 
public  opinion,  as  expressed  in  the  press  and  on  the  platform, 
and  by  the  deliberately  chosen  representatives  of  the  people. 
Every  question  can  be  discussed  and  argued,  all  sides  of  it 
can  be  heard,  and  the  nation  makes  up  its  mind.  The  col- 
lective judgment  of  all  is  wiser  than  the  wisest  single  man — 
securus  judicat  orbis. 

Give  the  public  time,  and  I believe  this  to  be  true  ; gener- 
al opinion  does  in  the  long  run  form  a right  estimate  of  most 
persons  and  of  most  things.  As  surely  its  immediate  im- 
pulses are  almost  invariably  in  directions  which  it  afterwards 
regrets  and  repudiates,  and  therefore  constitutions  which 
have  no  surer  basis  than  the  popular  judgment,  as  it  shifts 
from  year  to  year  or  parliament  to  parliament,  are  built  on 
foundations  looser  than  sand. 

In  concluding  this  book  I have  a few  more  words  to  say  on 
the  subject,  so  ardently  canvassed,  of  Imperial  federation.  It 


368  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

seems  so  easy.  You  have  only  to  form  a new  parliament  in 
which  the  colonies  shall  he  represented  according  to  numbers, 
while  each  colony  will  retain  its  own  for  its  own  local  pur- 
poses. Local  administration  is  demanded  everywhere  ; Eng- 
land, Scotland,  Wales,  Ireland,  can  each  have  theirs,  and  the 
vexed  question  of  Home  Buie  can  be  disposed  of  in  the  re- 
construction of  the  whole.  A central  parliament  can  then  be 
formed  in  which  the  parts  can  all  be  represented  in  propor- 
tion to  their  number  ; and  a cabinet  can  be  selected  out  of 
this  for  the  management  of  Imperial  concerns.  Nothing  more 
is  necessary  ; the  thing  will  be  done. 

So  in  a hundred  forms,  but  all  on  the  same  principle, 
schemes  of  Imperial  union  have  fallen  under  my  eye.  I 
should  myself  judge  from  experience  of  what  democratically 
elected  parliaments  are  growing  into,  that  at  the  first  session 
of  such  a body  the  satellites  would  fly  off  into  space,  shat- 
tered perhaps  themselves  in  the  process.  We  have  parlia- 
ments enough  already,  and  if  no  better  device  can  be  found 
than  by  adding  another  to  the  number,  the  rash  spirit  of  in- 
novation has  not  yet  gone  far  enough  to  fling  our  ancient  con- 
stitution into  the  crucible  on  so  wild  a chance. 

Imperial  federation,  as  it  is  called,  is  far  away,  if  ever  it  is 
to  be  realised  at  all.  If  it  is  to  come  it  will  come  of  itself, 
brought  about  by  circumstances  and  silent  impulses  working 
continuously  through  many  years  unseen  and  unspoken  of.  It 
is  conceivable  that  Great  Britain  and  her  scattered  offspring, 
under  the  pressure  of  danger  from  without,  or  impelled  by 
some  general  purpose,  might  agree  to  place  themselves  for  a 
time  under  a single  administrative  head.  It  is  conceivable 
that  out  of  a combination  so  formed,  if  it  led  to  a successful 
immediate  result,  some  union  of  a closer  kind  might  event- 
ually emerge.  It  is  not  only  conceivable,  but  it  is  entirely 
certain,  that  attempts  made  when  no  such  occasion  has  arisen, 
by  politicians  ambitious  of  distinguishing  themselves,  will 


Imperial  Federation. 


369 


fail,  and  in  failing  will  make  the  object  that  is  aimed  at  more 
confessedly  unattainable  than  it  is  now. 

The  present  relation  between  the  mother  country  and  her 
self-governed  colonies  is  partly  that  of  parent  and  children 
who  have  grown  to  maturity  and  are  taking  care  of  them- 
selves, partly  of  independent  nations  in  friendly  alliance, 
partly  as  common  subjects  of  the  same  sovereign,  whose  au- 
thority is  exercised  in  each  by  ministers  of  its  own.  Neither 
of  these  analogies  is  exact,  for  the  position  alters  from  year  to 
year.  So  much  the  better.  The  relation  which  now  exists 
cannot  be  more  than  provisional ; let  us  not  try  to  shape  it 
artificially,  after  a closet-made  pattern.  The  threads  of  in- 
terest and  kindred  must  be  left  to  spin  themselves  in  their 
own  way.  Meanwhile  we  can  work  together  heartily  and  with 
good  will  where  we  need  each  other’s  co-operation.  Diffi- 
culties will  rise,  perhaps,  from  time  to  time,  but  we  can  meet 
them  as  they  come,  and  we  need  not  anticipate  them.  If  we 
are  to  be  politically  one,  the  organic  fibres  which  connect  us 
are  as  yet  too  immature  to  bear  a strain.  All  that  we  can  do, 
and  all  that  at  present  we  ought  to  try,  is  to  act  generously 
whenever  our  assistance  can  be  of  use.  The  disposition  of 
English  statesmen  to  draw  closer  to  the  colonies  is  of  recent 
growth.  They  cannot  tell,  and  we  cannot  tell,  how  far  it  in- 
dicates a real  change  of  attitude  or  is  merely  a passing  mood. 
One  thing,  however,  we  ought  to  bear  in  mind,  that  the  colo- 
nies sympathise  one  with  another,  and  that  wrong  or  neglect 
in  any  part  of  the  Empire  does  not  escape  notice.  The 
larger  colonies  desire  to  know  what  the  recent  professions  of 
interest  are  worth,  and  they  look  keenly  at  our  treatment  of 
their  younger  brothers  who  are  still  in  our  power.  They  are 
practical,  they  attend  to  results,  they  guard  jealously  their 
own  privileges,  but  they  are  not  so  enamoured  of  constitu- 
tional theory  that  they  will  patiently  see  their  fellow-country- 
men in  less  favoured  situations  swamped  under  the  votes  of 
24 


370 


The  English  in  the  T Vest  Indies. 


the  coloured  races.  Australians,  Canadians,  New  Zealanders, 
will  not  be  found  enthusiastic  for  the  extension  of  self-govern- 
ment in  the  West  Indies,  when  they  know  that  it  means  the 
extinction  of  their  own  white  brothers  who  have  settled  there. 
The  placing  English  colonists  at  the  mercy  of  coloured  ma- 
jorities they  will  resent  as  an  injury  to  themselves  ; they  will 
not  look  upon  it  as  an  extension  of  a generous  principle,  but 
as  an  act  of  airy  virtue  which  costs  us  nothing,  and  at  the 
bottom  is  but  carelessness  and  indifference. 

We  imagine  that  we  have  seen  the  errors  of  our  old  co- 
lonial policy,  and  that  we  are  in  no  danger  of  repeating  them. 
Yet  in  the  West  Indies  we  are  treading  over  again  the  tob 
familiar  road.  The  Anglo-Irish  colonists  in  1705  petitioned 
for  a union  with  Great  Britain.  A union  would  have  involved 
a share  in  British  trade  ; it  was  refused  therefore,  and  we 
gave  them  the  penal  laws  instead.  They  set  up  manufact- 
ures, built  ships,  and  tried  to  raise  a commerce  of  their  own. 
We  laid  them  under  disabilities  which  ruined  their  enter- 
prises, and  when  they  were  resentful  and  became  trouble- 
some we  turned  round  to  the  native  Irish  and  made  a virtue 
of  protecting  them  against  our  own  people  whom  we  had  in- 
jured. When  the  penal  laws  ceased  to  be  useful  to  us,  we 
did  not  allow  them  to  be  executed.  We  played  off  Catholic 
against  Protestant  while  we  were  sacrificing  both  to  our  own 
jealousy.  Having  made  the  government  of  the  island  impos- 
sible for  those  whom  we  had  planted  there  to  govern  it,  we 
emancipate  the  governed,  and  to  conciliate  them  we  allow 
them  to  appropriate  the  possessions  of  their  late  masters. 
And  we  have  not  conciliated  the  native  Irish  ; it  was  impos- 
sible that  we  should ; we  have  simply  armed  them  with  the 
only  weapons  which  enable  them  to  revenge  their  wrongs 
upon  us. 

The  history  of  the  West  Indies  is  a precise  parallel.  The 
islands  were  necessary  to  our  safety  in  our  struggle  with 


New  Irelands. 


371 


France  and  Spain.  The  colonists  held  them  chiefly  for  us  as 
a garrison,  and  we  in  turn  gave  the  colonists  their  slaves. 
The  white  settlers  ruled  as  in  Ireland,  the  slaves  obeyed,  and 
all  went  swimmingly.  Times  changed  at  home.  Slavery 
became  unpopular  ; it  was  abolished ; and,  with  a generosity 
for  which  we  never  ceased  to  applaud  ourselves,  we  voted  an 
indemnity  of  twenty  millions  to  the  owners.  We  imagined 
that  we  had  acquitted  our  consciences,  but  such  debts  are  not 
to  be  got  rid  of  by  payments  of  money.  We  had  introduced 
the  slaves  into  the  islands  for  our  own  advantage  ; in  setting 
them  free  we  revolutionised  society.  We  remained  still  re- 
sponsible for  the  social  consequences,  and  we  did  not  choose 
to  remember  it.  The  planters  were  guilty  only,  like  the 
Irish  landlords,  of  having  ceased  to  be  necessary  to  us.  We 
practised  our  virtues  vicariously  at  their  expense  ; we  had  the 
praise  and  honour,  they  had  the  suffering.  They  begged  that 
the  emancipation  might  be  gradual : our  impatience  to  clear 
our  reputation  refused  to  wait.  Their  system  of  cultivation 
being  deranged,  they  petitioned  for  protection  against  the 
competition  of  countries  where  slavery  continued.  The  re- 
quest was  natural,  but  could  not  be  listened  to  because  to 
grant  it  might  raise  infinitesimally  the  cost  of  the  British 
workman’s  breakfast.  They  struggled  on,  and  even  when  a 
new  rival  rose  in  the  beetroot  sugar  they  refused  to  be 
beaten.  The  European  powers,  to  save  their  beetroot,  went 
on  to  support  it  with  a bounty.  Against  the  purse  of  foreign 
governments  the  sturdiest  individuals  cannot  compete.  De- 
feated in  a fight  which  had  become  unfair,  the  planters 
looked,  and  looked  in  vain,  to  their  own  government  for  help. 
Finding  none,  they  turned  to  their  kindred  in  the  United 
States  ; there,  at  last,  they  found  a hand  held  out  to  them. 
The  Americans  were  willing,  though  at  a loss  of  two  millions 
and  a half  of  revenue,  to  admit  the  poor  West  Indians  to 
their  own  market.  But  a commercial  treaty  was  necessary  ; 


372  The  English  in  the  West  Indies. 

and  a treaty  could  not  be  made  without  the  sanction  of  the 
English  Government.  The  English  Government,  on  some 
fine-drawn  crotchet,  refused  to  colonies  which  were  weak  and 
helpless  what  they  would  have  granted  without  a word  if  de- 
manded by  Victoria  or  New  South  Wales,  whose  resentment 
they  feared.  And  when  the  West  Indians,  harassed,  des- 
perate, and  half  ruined,  cried  out  against  the  enormous  in- 
justice, in  the  fear  that  their  indignation  might  affect  their 
allegiance  and  lead  them  to  seek  admission  into  the  American 
Union,  we  extend  the  franchise  among  the  blacks,  on  whose 
hostility  to  such  a measure  we  know  that  we  can  rely. 

There  is  no  occasion  to  suspect  responsible  English  poli- 
ticians of  any  sinister  purpose  in  what  they  have  done  or  not 
done,  or  suspect  them,  indeed,  of  any  purpose  at  all.  They 
act  from  day  to  day  under  the  pressure  of  each  exigency  as 
it  rises,  and  they  choose  the  course  which  is  least  directly  in- 
convenient. But  the  result  is  to  have  created  in  the  Antilles 
and  Jamaica  so  many  fresh  Irelands,  and  I believe  that  Brit- 
ish colonists  the  world  over  will  feel  together  in  these  ques- 
tions. They  will  not  approve  ; rather  they  will  combine  to 
condemn  the  betrayal  of  their  own  fellow-countrymen.  If 
England  desires  her  colonies  to  rally  round  her,  she  must  de- 
serve their  affection  and  deserve  their  respect.  She  will  find 
neither  one  nor  the  other  if  she  carelessly  sacrifices  her  own 
people  in  any  part  of  the  world  to  fear  or  convenience.  The 
magnetism  which  will  bind  them  to  her  must  be  found  in 
herself  or  nowhere. 

Perhaps  nowhere ! Perhaps  if  we  look  to  the  real  origin 
of  all  that  has  gone  wrong  with  us,  of  the  policy  which  has 
flung  Ireland  back  into  anarchy,  which  has  weakened  our  in- 
fluence abroad,  which  has  ruined  the  oldest  of  our  colonies, 
and  has  made  the  continuance  under  our  flag  of  the  great 
communities  of  our  countrymen  who  are  forming  new  nations 
in  the  Pacific  a question  of  doubt  and  uncertainty,  we  shall 


Effects  of  Party. 


373 


find  it  in  our  own  distractions,  in  the  form  of  government 
which  is  fast  developing  into  a civil  war  under  the  semblance 
of  peace,  where  party  is  more  than  country,  and  a victory  at 
the  hustings  over  a candidate  of  opposite  principles  more 
glorious  than  a victory  in  the  field  over  a foreign  foe.  Soci- 
ety in  republican  Rome  was  so  much  interested  in  the  faction 
fights  of  Clodius  and  Milo  that  it  could  hear  with  apathy  of 
the  destruction  of  Crassus  and  a Roman  army.  The  senate 
would  have  sold  Caesar  to  the  Celtic  chiefs  in  Gaul,  and  the 
modern  English  enthusiast  would  disintegrate  the  British 
Islands  to  purchase  the  Irish  vote.  Till  we  can  rise  into 
some  nobler  sphere  of  thought  and  conduct  we  may  lay  aside 
the  vision  of  a confederated  empire. 

Oh,  England,  model  to  thy  inward  greatness, 

Like  little  body  with  a mighty  heart, 

What  might’st  thou  do  that  honour  would  thee  do 
Were  all  thy  children  kind  and  natural ! 


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